Ottawa, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2025) -Immigrant-owned businesses are a growing force in Canada's economy, representing an underleveraged opportunity to strengthen trade and domestic economic security. These insights are revealed in From Roots to Routes: Immigrant Entrepreneurs and How They Are Shaping Canada's Trade Future, a new report from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce's Business Data Lab (BDL).
As Canada marks Small Business Week, this report shines a spotlight on the outsized contribution of immigrant-owned small businesses to the national economy. Immigrant entrepreneurs from South Korea, India, Poland, Hong Kong (SAR), and the Philippines lead the way in sectors such as professional services, transportation, construction, retail, and manufacturing. Many are well-positioned to expand globally, leveraging strong cultural and business networks to access markets across the U.S., Asia, and the Middle East. Yet, despite their potential, only a fraction of immigrant-owned firms currently export. In 2020, immigrant entrepreneurs represented 16% of Canada's exporters - up from 12% a decade earlier - signaling strong progress but revealing significant untapped opportunity.
"Immigrant entrepreneurs are a key driver for Canada's trade diversification, internal trade and economic growth agendas," said report author Marwa Abdou, Senior Research Director at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. "By supporting these businesses to expand into global markets - through financing, export readiness programs, and trade networks - we can create new jobs, find new revenue, and build more economic resilience for Canada."
Most immigrant-owned businesses are micro-firms, employing fewer than 10 people, yet collectively they sustain hundreds of thousands of jobs and generate billions in revenue. Women and refugee entrepreneurs make up significant shares of this community, often operating in sectors where global trade and community networks can be leveraged for growth.
"Our research shows that immigrant entrepreneurs are not just creating jobs at home -they hold enormous untapped potential to expand Canada's trade footprint," added report co-author Dr. Sui Sui. "Many of these businesses are already globally connected through diaspora networks, yet only a fraction is actively exporting. By supporting them to scale internationally, we can strengthen Canada's economy, diversify our trade, and build resilience against economic disruptions."
Read the full report
Quick Facts
- Immigrants are more likely than Canadians born here to own a business.
- In 2020, immigrant-owned businesses employed over 800,000 people.
- Immigrant entrepreneurs represented 16.4% of all Canadian exporters in goods trade.
- Between 2003 and 2013, immigrant-owned businesses generated about 25% of net new jobs while only representing 17% of firms.
- Immigrant-owned businesses paid about 10% more in net taxes per worker than majority Canadian-born-owned businesses.
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About the Business Data Lab (BDL)
Launched in February 2022, the Business Data Lab (BDL) by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce provides free tools and real-time insights to help organizations understand Canada's economy today and anticipate future trends. Supported by Statistics Canada and funded by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, the BDL aims to ensure that rapid economic change and shifting business dynamics do not leave Canada's decision-makers behind. By democratizing data on Canadian business conditions and offering future-focused, real-time, and local insights, the BDL enables organizations to better understand and navigate the Canadian economy.
About the Canadian Chamber of Commerce
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is Canada's largest and most activated business network - representing over 400 chambers of commerce and boards of trade and more than 200,000 business of all sizes, from all sectors of the economy and from every part of the country - working to create the conditions for our collective success. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is the undisputed champion and catalyst for the future of business success. From working with government on economy-friendly policy to providing services that inform commerce and enable trade, we give each of our members more of what they need to succeed: insight into markets, competitors and trends, influence over the decisions and policies that drive business success, and impact on business and economic performance.
Media Contact
Shane Mackenzie
Vice-President, Media Relations and Stakeholder Communications
613.302.7683
smackenzie@chamber.ca
Rewa Mourad
Strategic Communications and Content Specialist
rmourad@chamber.ca
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271327
SOURCE: Canadian Chamber of Commerce
