A Brampton resident chose to move to China amid many difficulties finding a job in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and this StatCan expert says thousands of others are also choosing to emigrate.
In 2022, Christian “Cali” Lopez moved back to Canada after living in China for four years following his Bachelor of Arts graduation in 2018.
Since then, he had been tirelessly searching for a teaching job, chasing side gigs, service jobs, freelance opportunities, and even a leap into marketing, which was not his first choice as an English major. But all he could land was a part-time online teaching job, which was not enough to pay his bills.
“I thought it was just going to be a teacher for my whole life, basically. But I learned what brand ambassadors were… basically, in Toronto, there’s a big industry for gig working. And I got into that because I couldn’t find a full-time position anywhere really that was suitable,” he said.
But earlier this year, Lopez found himself on a plane back to China with his partner after not being able to build a sustainable career in Canada.
“I spent around two full years in Toronto, and after doing the gig work, trying to do the online teaching thing, trying to fill out my schedule as much as possible, it just felt like I was getting nowhere, because the cost of living was still so high that without a job that was paying like a significant salary every month, it just felt like I was getting more and more behind,” he said.
His partner, who is a Chinese citizen and works with international trade, was able to secure permanent residency in Canada, but also couldn’t land a full-time position in the country. So, eventually, they had to make the hard decision to move out.
“I’m here on a spousal visa. So, I can’t work for a Chinese company, but I have my online students. And, basically, teaching 10 hours per week here allows me to still save more money than working 40 hours per week in Canada,” he added.
“Actually, since I came back to China, an influencer marketing agency here has already asked me to work with them to do some advertising as well…basically no opportunities came in Canada to make money online compared to a couple of months here,” he said.
@calilopezz And I am eternally grateful for this new pace of life! #china #travelchina #foreignerinchina #life #positivity #fyp #housetour ♬ Enjoy life happily – HD235( 音乐)
Toronto currently registers an 8.6 per cent unemployment rate with over 27,000 less jobs in April than March, making it very difficult to get a job in the city, especially for young residents and recent graduates.
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100,000 CANADIANS LEFT THE COUNTRY IN 2024
Lopez says he knows other Canadians, especially in the teaching industry, who have also chosen to try a life in China after not being able to afford staying home.
“Most people who end up here are actually people who just couldn’t find a job in an industry that they liked. They saw that the cost of living is low here and the salary is relatively high, and they end up here basically because it’s the best option for them at the time,” he said.
“I think that that’s the case for a lot of people that I know here, and they end up basically becoming comfortable because they are able to save, they’re able to have a better lifestyle—and they stay for a long time.”
In fact, Lopez is not alone.
StatCan demographer Julien Bérard-Chagnon tells Now Toronto that over 100,000 Canadians have left the country in 2024, representing an increase since the pandemic. And although they usually choose destinations that are economically related to Canada, such as the U.S. or the U.K., recently these destinations also started to shift across the globe, including some Asian countries.
But the expert says that there are many reasons why someone would choose to leave the country, and while cost of living and employment opportunities are some of these reasons, there could be others such as pursuing a degree or going back to your country of birth.
Bérard-Chagnon also says that most of Canada’s registered emigrants are in their twenties or thirties, often born abroad, and more educated, on average, than the general population, which could represent a problem as the country tries to attract and keep more skilled professionals.
“This could contribute [to] Canada losing some very specialized workers. So, at the turn of the century, there were talks about the brain drain in Canada,” he said.
On the other hand, the expert says emigration could offer an advantage to Canada, as some of these emigrants intend to eventually come back.
“If someone studied abroad, they can bring their degree back to the country, their work experience, their work contact, back to the country, which could benefit Canada in the long term,” he added.
Lopez is one of these Canadians, and also wishes he can come home eventually.
“I hope that the economy gets better because I love my friends and family so much, like I’m so close to them… At this point, we hope to make enough money here and save enough money that we can go back to Canada and feel comfortable. But it’s also kind of scary,” he added.
EXPERTS LIST REASONS TO STAY IN CANADA
But experts suggest that there are still many good reasons to stay and work in Canada.
According to recruiting platforms like Jobillico and AMK, the country offers a series of employment perks that are often rare to find elsewhere, including employment insurance, benefits, health insurance, parental leaves, remote job opportunities and more.
And while the market is a bit cold right now, there are still opportunities for certain careers in demand, such as health care, technology and engineering.
The country also often ranks high up in different quality of life indicators, such as happiness, life expectancy and safety.
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