Immigrants new to Canada have a difficult time finding work, and face unemployment rates twice as high as those among Canadian-born citizens, according to a Statistics Canada study released Monday.

The study found 2006 unemployment levels among immigrants who arrived in Canada between 2001 and 2006 was 11.5 per cent, as compared with 4.9 per cent among the Canadian-born population.

The federal agency suggested that a lack of Canadian work experience, language barriers and unrecognized foreign credentials posed the largest barriers to integrating new immigrants into the workforce.

The study notes that unemployment rates in 2006 fell to 7.3 per cent among immigrants who had been in the country between five and 10 years.

New immigrants fare better in Alberta

Newly landed immigrants in Alberta fared the best in Canada, owing to the province's booming economy and labour demands, the report suggests. 

"The unemployment rate among very recent immigrants living in Alberta (those who became landed immigrants to Canada between 2001 and 2006) was 5.8 per cent in 2006; less than half the national average for this group," Statistics Canada said in a release.

The federal agency noted, however, that the unemployment level for immigrants in Alberta was still double that for Canadian-born Albertans in 2006.

By comparison, the unemployment rate for newly landed immigrants in Montreal was notably high at 18.1 per cent. Toronto and Vancouver also recorded high unemployment rates for new immigrants at 11 per cent and 9.6 per cent respectively.

Young women struggle to find work

Immigrant women, particularly young women, struggle the most in the labour market, according to the study.

Among women between the ages of 25 and 54 who have been in Canada less than five years, 2006 unemployment levels reached 13 per cent.

Immigrant women between the ages of 15 and 24 had even less success in the workforce with unemployment rates at 19.9 per cent, double the rate of young Canadian-born women.