What the OECD 2025 Migration Outlook Means for Canada

For Canada, the timing couldn’t be more relevant. The country remains one of the world’s top destinations for newcomers, but is navigating housing pressures, rising costs, labour mismatches, and major policy reforms. And while migration felt like a never-ending post-pandemic surge, the OECD – a group of 38 countries that collaborate on economic and social policy shows that it actually fell by about 4% in 2024. 

Global Key Takeaways 

• Migration flows dipped slightly but remained near record highs globally – 6.2 million new permanent immigrants in 2024, still 15% above pre-pandemic levels. 

• Globally Labour migration fell 21%, while humanitarian migration rose 23%. Canada saw this too with fewer employer-driven arrivals but more refugees and humanitarian entrants.

• Temporary work migration stayed elevated, with 2.3 million permits issued globally.

• International student numbers dropped 13%, with Canada among the sharpest declines.

• Immigrant employment remains strong (71%), but newcomers still earn less due to many working in lower-paying sectors.

• Health systems worldwide depend heavily on migrants – the share of foreign-born doctors and nurses has increased by seven percent over the last two decades.

• Policies across OECD countries are diverging, with some tightening and others expanding pathways.

Migration Levels Cool but Remain Historically High 

After COVID-19 borders reopened and economies restarted, migration surged as people caught up on lost time. But 2024 brought a cooling effect. Governments recalibrated, labour markets tightened, and policies became more cautious. Canada’s own 2026-2028 levels plan reflects this, reducing targets steady while the country reassesses housing, infrastructure, and labour needs. 

Still, six million people made permanent moves across OECD countries, and levels remain historically high. The slowdown reflects not declining interest but a change in how and why people move. 

Newcomers Are Working, but Outcomes Aren’t Equal 

The OECD International Migration Outlook 2025 highlights one of the most uncomfortable findings. While immigrant employment is strong, newcomers remain concentrated in lower-paying sectors and smaller firms, earning 34% less than native-born workers in the same age group. 

Canada’s Ongoing Barriers 

For Canada, this challenge is familiar. Credential recognition hurdles, limited Canadian experience, and employer caution keep many skilled newcomers in roles far below their qualifications. It’s less about ambition and more about access. 

The Expanding Role of Firms 

A key point in the 2025 edition is the report’s emphasis on the role of firms in integration. Governments have long carried most of the responsibility, but businesses are now being called in for real inclusion. 

Employers who invest in training, mentorship, and recognizing foreign skills can transform newcomer outcomes. Those who treat migrants as short-term labour only deepen inequality. 

For Canada that is trying to reduce reliance on temporary workers and build a more resilient workforce, the message is clear that firms can make or break the migrant experience. 

Migration and the Gender Shift 

Migrant women are reshaping labour markets in quiet but significant ways. In 2024, employment rates for migrant women improved in one-third of OECD countries, while men’s rates often slipped. However, Canada has consistently hovered around a 50% share of women among incoming migrants. 

The Health Workforce Conundrum 

Health professionals, doctors, nurses, and care workers are increasingly on the move, particularly from lower-income to higher-income countries. The OECD highlights this as one of the defining migration trends of 2025. 

Brain Gain Meets Brain Drain 

On the surface, this looks like a win-win. Countries like Canada fill staffing gaps, and professionals gain better training and pay. But the “brain drain” problem is hard to ignore. When talent leaves countries with already fragile healthcare systems, the imbalance widens. 

It raises a core ethical question: How can migration meet labour needs in receiving countries without weakening care in sending countries? 

Canada’s Response 

Canada has expanded credential recognition pathways, launched bridging programs, and rolled out province-led fast-track licensing models. These are promising steps, but the OECD stresses that domestic reforms alone aren’t enough. 

Ethical recruitment, partnerships, and circular mobility models, where skills flow in both directions, will matter more than ever. 

When Policy Meets People 

Across the OECD, migration policies are moving in opposite directions. Some countries are tightening. Others are opening new pathways. Canada is trying to find a balanced middle ground. 

Canada’s Current Priorities 

• Reducing the number of temporary residents

• Recalibrating international student levels

• Investing in rural and regional immigration

• Prioritizing sectors with genuine labour shortages 

But these policy changes are unfolding during an intense public debate over housing, inflation, and infrastructure, all of which shape how Canadians feel about immigration. 

Canada and the Bigger Picture 

By late 2024, more than 160 million people living in OECD countries were foreign-born, 11.5% of the population, up from 9.1% a decade earlier. Canada is no exception, drawing newcomers in large numbers while managing housing pressures and labour gaps. Europe faces an aging population, while many communities feel worn out by ongoing debates over immigration and integration. These aren’t isolated trends, and they are shared pressures within a global system shaped by policy but lived by people. 

Four Points to Remember 

• Migration remains high, but growth is stabilizing. 

• Migrants are working, but not always in jobs that build futures. 

• Firms, not governments alone, are key to real integration. 

• Health-worker migration brings both opportunity and ethical tension. 

This data reminds us that migration is ultimately about people building lives, not just numbers on a page. For newcomers to Canada, that means knowing your rights, asking for fair opportunities, and leaning on programs that can help bridge gaps in skills, credentials, and confidence.