Immigrant Entrepreneurship in Rural and Smaller Communities in Canada: Recent Trends, Unique Opportunities, and Challenges

This chapter reviews research into immigrant entrepreneurship in smaller cities and rural areas, with a focus on the Canadian context. Data from a survey of 805 Atlantic Canadian employers is then analysed to assess differences in immigrant business leadership among the region’s cities compared to its rural areas. The appeal of rural living means that a significant portion of rural entrepreneurs focuses more on their lifestyle than on growing their business. Even still, most rural immigrant entrepreneurs are driven by economic opportunity rather than necessity. Economically, Canadian research indicates that immigrants to smaller centres tend to perform better in the labour market than their counterparts in Canada’s largest cities. Immigrant entrepreneurs in rural areas rely much less on co-ethnic networks, and their cross-cultural knowledge is a strong facilitator of innovation. Our survey data indicates that the urban–rural immigrant executive divide within Atlantic Canada is relatively small. Preliminary analysis demonstrates that an employer’s industry is the main correlate with the incidence of immigrant leadership. Large organizations and those in certain skill-intensive industries appear to be more likely to have an immigrant executive when they are situated in a rural area, likely due to skill shortages.