2022 – Engaging SMEs: National Business Networks and Local Design Perspectives
Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are often underrepresented in settlement programs like employer roundtables, advisory councils, mentoring initiatives, and networking events. While large corporations generally have the resources and structures to engage in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and effectively leverage immigrant talent, SMEs often face unique challenges. Their smaller scale, varied operational capacities, and limited resources can make it difficult for them to participate. As a result, their voices and perspectives are often missing from discussions about immigrant employment.
Despite these challenges, SMEs are adopting practices commonly seen in larger organizations like mentorship programs, additional training opportunities, language and communication support, assistance with immigration and settlement processes, and the expansion of employee benefits. However, there remains significant untapped potential to further develop practices that reflect the specific needs and capacities of SMEs.
The Engaging SMEs project was designed to close this gap by engaging SMEs across Canada to better understand their labor market needs and challenges. The project aimed to cocreate innovative, tailored solutions that would enhance SMEs’ ability to access, hire, train, and retain immigrant talent, ensuring that their voices were heard and their unique challenges addressed.
Led by IEC-BC, the project brought together key partners from across the country, including the Calgary Region Immigrant Employment Council (CRIEC), Halifax Partnership (HXP), Immploy, Workforce Collective, and the New Brunswick Multicultural Council (NBMC).
2018 – Employer Challenges in Attracting and Integrating Immigrants in Tech
By 2021, there will be an anticipated shortfall of over 30,000 skilled workers to fill tech-related jobs in the province. As Canada’s leader in tech, British Columbia must find a way to meet the industry’s growing demand. One of the talent pools , which can help offset the impending shortage of tech workers, is skilled immigrants. In partnership with the Association for Canadian Studies (ACS), IEC-BC has carried out a research project to identify specific needs and challenges associated with attracting and integrating immigrant talent into BC’s tech sector.
Summary Findings Employer Challenges in Attracting Immigrant Talent into Tech
2016 – National Conversation on Immigration
Filling in the country’s demographic needs, supporting Canada’s economic growth and innovation, and strengthening its diverse social fabric – a stronger, more cohesive and more responsive immigration system will contribute to our long-term success and prosperity as a nation in many ways.
2016 – Employer Forum: Unlock Bias, Leverage Global Talent
More than ever, successfully finding, hiring and retaining immigrant talent has become a critical strategy for BC employers; however, much of the immigrant talent coming to BC is being under-utilized. Although skilled immigrants can make a significant contribution to BC’s economic prosperity, many are chronically underemployed at a considerable cost to the economy. BC employers need to understand how to incorporate effective practices to successfully hire and integrate immigrants into their workplaces.
2015 – Report on Research and Roundtables with Professional Immigrant Networks in BC
There is no longer any doubt in the minds of employers, government and even immigrants themselves that BC must effectively and efficiently match its resident and incoming skilled immigrants with employment that is consistent with their education, ability and experience. BC’s looming labour and skills shortages are well documented and new migrants to BC are expected to fill one third of job openings. Even with full participation of the existing population, BC will still need 306,000 international workers to meet the projected labour demands of the next decade.
2014 – Mind the Gap Summit Report: A Platform for Moving Forward on Global Talent for British Columbia
British Columbia (BC) is expected to face a labour shortage of at least 61,500 skilled workers by 2020 according to BC Labour Market Outlook, 2010–2020, due to an aging workforce, low birth rates and economic growth in emerging sectors and major projects – and this figure does not include the proposed LNG projects. Further, in order to fill one million new job openings expected by 2020, the Province of BC has targeted the recruitment of 265,000 international workers as part of its labour supply plan. At the same time, pressures on the labour supply side include a relatively low BC fertility rate, a relatively faster aging workforce, geographic and sectoral mismatches, a disconnect between labour demand and the supply of labour through existing employment and training programs, and highly under-utilized immigrant talent.
2012 – Leaders Summit on Immigrant Employment Report
Experience has shown many employers that skilled immigrants bring far more to organizations than much needed skill sets. Diversity brings a measure of equity for some larger employers including public sector organizations, but it also broadens the experience and creativity of every workforce. While the impact of changing demographic profiles and globalization is fueling the chase for skilled immigrants internationally, the solutions for attracting, hiring and retaining these workers require local strategies.
2012 – BC Employer Consultation Report: Recruiting & Retaining Immigrant Talent
Since 2008, IEC-BC has been working closely with employers, business associations and other key stakeholders to improve hiring practices, encourage new public policies
and programs, and change perceptions about immigrants in order to grow BC’s economy through effective immigrant labour market integration. As part of this mandate, IEC-BC conducted an independent study to consult with employers throughout the Province to obtain their views and advice on needs and solutions regarding hiring and retaining immigrants in their workforces.
This study represents one of the most comprehensive engagement initiatives with BC Employers that addresses the critical area of Recruiting and Retaining Immigrant Talent in British Columbia.