Don’t speak English or French? In Hamilton, you might earn 57 per cent less than people who do

If your English or French is weak, you might be earning 57 per cent less than Hamiltonians with better linguistic skills, according to the latest census data.

The fluency of official languages in Hamilton strongly reflected on people's income, 2021 census data showed. While the majority of the Hamilton population - over 90 per cent - know and speak English, about two per cent don't speak either of the official languages.

Khadija Hamidu, executive director of Workforce Planning Hamilton, told The Spectator language is a huge factor when employers are trying to hire because employers are more likely to hire someone that speaks the same language."

That's a contributing factor to the lower income rate (for non-English speakers). New immigrants ... coming into the country (are) less likely to get hired versus someone who is (a) Canadian," she said.

Hamiltonians who could speak either English or French, on average, earned $57,650, while those with no knowledge of either official language made an average income of $24,680.

People who are bilingual - only six per cent in Hamilton - were the highest earning residents in the city, the 2021 census showed.

Hamidu said bilingual individuals with knowledge of both English and French earned $7,000 more than the average income rate in the city - a 12 per cent difference.

The city has a growing diverse community of immigrants and refugees. In Hamilton, 13 per cent of the population speak a nonofficial language, while four per cent speak both English and a nonofficial language, according to the linguistic profile in the 2021 census.

Arabic is the most spoken nonofficial language in Hamilton, while other languages from the Global South, including Punjabi and Tagalog, increased over the last five years. European languages, including Italian, have seen a decline at the same time.

Hamidu said employers have started to look beyond official language qualifications and are willing to train new employees."

Amid an ongoing shortage of employees in Hamilton, Hamidu said employers are focusing on soft skills like loyalty and a person's ability to learn more than their existing knowledge of language.

Employers are a little bit more understanding of diversity as a whole," she said.

For newcomers with weaker semantic skills, it's not uncommon to take a lower-paying position and work their way up while learning more on the job, Hamidu said.

The city is also adapting to changing demographics to accommodate immigrants with lesser knowledge of either of the official languages, including recent Ukrainian and Afghan refugees.

Many organizations in Hamilton have been posting openings for translators to help immigrants settle better in the city.

The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce and Mohawk College also launched an initiative Now Hiring Hamilton to help employers understand various aspects of hiring beyond language and Canadian experience - including focusing on equity, diversity and inclusion in the process.

Diversity is here to stay," said Hamidu, adding that it's important to think outside the box on how to better equip staff with skills to help with retention within the organization.

Ritika Dubey is a reporter at The Spectator. rdubey@thespec.com