Canada leads G7, tops in the number of highly-educated people of working age

Highlights: Canada in G7 comes first in the number of highly-qualified people

• Canada has the most working-age people with a college/university degree compared to other G7 member countries.
• The arrival of highly-educated immigrants is a major reason for the rise in the number of people with at least a bachelor’s degree.
• Canada seeks to capitalize on the highly-educated population of the country to ensure its worker gaps are filled sooner.
• One in three Canadians currently holds a bachelor's degree at the least.

*Know your eligibility to immigrate to Canada through Y-Axis Canada Immigration Points Calculator.

Let’s talk about a big bright spot that Canada is at where the country is currently first among G7 nations with the largest number of working-age people holding a college/university degree. This is a great achievement for Canada in G7.

The number of highly educated people in the country has a major contribution from the number of well-qualified immigrants arriving in or getting educated in the country.

An educated population is a key to meeting the rising demand for skilled workers, partly due to the gap created in the working population partly owing to Canadians reaching retirement age. Even after the COVID-19 pandemic, due to which a large number of job vacancies were unfilled, it was the highly-educated population that was capable of withstanding the disruptions caused by the pandemic and landing new jobs.

This one scenario proves the importance of having educated people become part of the population to ensure that economic progress is not slowed down.

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The numbers that shine!

The share of working-age people (25 – 64 years of age) with a college/university degree is 57.5 percent in 2021. Close to one in four people of working age with a college certificate/diploma constituted 24.6 percent of the Canadian population. This is more than the portion of the population achieved by any of the G7 countries in 2021.

In recent times, immigrants constituted close to half of the total growth in the share of people in Canada holding at least a bachelor's degree. Canada has a strong college system which is the key reason for its success in achieving such international status.

The fact is that there’s a rising number of Canadians of working age who have done at least a bachelor's degree, for which there are two clear reasons:

• The arrival of highly educated immigrants in recent times
• Rising number of young adults getting educated

Approximately one-third of the population of working age, which comes to over 6.4 million people, were found to have got a bachelor's degree at least in 2021. This number is up 4.3 percent points when compared to 2016. This pace of increase in the number of educated young adults is faster than any reported in the two censuses conducted previously.

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How did the Canadian provinces perform?

Here’s a look at how Canadian provinces performed with the highest growth in the rate of degree holders in Canada between 2016 and 2021:

Province	Percentage
British Columbia	+5.1
Ontario	+4.9

 

The CRS system of assigning ranks to immigration candidates based on points under the Express Entry system grants higher points for higher levels of education. This, when combined with the fact the Canada immigration candidates with the highest CRS points get the greater opportunity to immigrate to Canada, does a phenomenal job. Due to this, immigrants arrive in Canada with high educational backgrounds which improves the chances of the country developing its economy, thanks to their education and skills.

Here’s a table that shows the details of CRS scores assigned for education under Express Entry:

Education Level	With Spouse	Single
Secondary school (high school) credential	28	30
1-year post-secondary program credential	84	90
2-year post-secondary program credential	91	98
≥3-year post-secondary program credential or a Bachelor’s degree	112	120
2 post-secondary program credentials (one must be of least 3 years)	119	128
Master’s OR Entry-to-practice professional degree	126	135
Doctorate / PhD	140	150

 

The bottom line

The growth of Canada as a promising economy depends highly on the presence of a highly educated population in the country. Canada is welcoming immigrants with higher education and is opening doors to opportunities for career development for educated youngsters around the world. If you are one, go ahead and move to Canada.

If you are willing to migrate to Canada, talk to Y-Axis, the leading immigration and career consultant in the UAE.

Global citizens are the future. We help make it possible through our immigration services.

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