Social Capital, Labour Market Outcomes and the Influence of Ethnic Concentration : A Case Study of the Somali Community in Toronto

The concept of social capital has become an explanatory variable for the labour market outcomes of immigrants. The primary aim of this paper is to investigate the type and quality of social capital within the social networks of Somalis in Toronto and how this affects the labour market outcomes of these individuals. A secondary, but related objective is to investigate the influence that living in an ethnically concentrated area may have on the types of people Somalis are tied to. Accordingly this paper will address three main questions: 1) What kind of social capital is embedded in the social networks of Somalis in Toronto? 2) How does the social capital present within the social networks of Somalis affect their labour market opportunities in Toronto? and 3) Does living in an ethnically concentrated neighbourhood lead to the accumulation of more ethnic ties than not living in an ethnically concentrated neighbourhood?