色狐入口

Subscribe
X

Atlantic Canada employers need more applicants, study finds

色狐入口

Many employers across Atlantic Canada find it difficult to hire because there are not enough applicants with the necessary experience or skills.

This is according to a by The Harris Centre at Memorial University in Newfoundland titled 鈥楨mployer Attitudes Towards Hiring Newcomers and International Students in the Atlantic Provinces鈥.

The report investigated聽employers鈥櫬燼ttitudes and perceptions,聽to better understand聽the difficulties associated with newcomer integration in 鈥檚听濒补产辞耻谤听尘补谤办别迟.

Atlantic Canada refers to the four easternmost provinces in Canada: , , and .

More than half of聽Atlantic Canada聽employers who received applications from and ended up hiring an immigrant or international student.

In addition,聽a whopping 88 per cent of employers surveyed said they had positive experiences with immigrant workers. They had a聽positive impression on immigrants because they found that international workers who they previously聽hired were 鈥渉ard-working, skilled, and reliable.鈥

This聽positive impression聽shows聽that employers聽in Atlantic Canada are keen to hire immigrants. However, the provinces find it difficult to retain immigrants in the region.

Low immigration rates in Atlantic Canada

There is a population crisis in Atlantic Canada. The region is facing declining fertility rates and an aging population. In addition, many international students who come to study in the region end up leaving聽in search for more job opportunities that match their aspirations.

In fact, the main reason why immigrants leave the region is because of employment. As a result, governments, employers and learning institutions have been developing strategies to attract and retain more immigrants, international students and temporary workers to the region.

In 2010, the region welcomed about 3 per cent of newcomers to Canada, even though its population is 6.5 per cent of Canada鈥檚. In 2016, this increased to 5 per cent. The Canadian federal government launched the (AIP) in 2017 as an additional tool for immigration. Since then, immigration to the region has been increasing considerably. There was a 22 per cent increase in immigration in 2018, and a 26 per cent increase in 2019.

Despite this, Atlantic Canada has the lowest immigration and retention rates in Canada. Many immigrants tend to choose larger cities such as Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal over Atlantic Canada.

What should Atlantic Canada do to retain immigrants?

The study highlighted a few recommendations to make it easier for immigrants and international students to integrate into the region鈥檚聽labour聽markets.

One is to introduce immigration policies that meet the needs of employers across the region. Employers need to hire, but there is a lack of applicants. A straightforward solution to this is to align immigration policies to fill these聽labour聽needs.

Another recommendation is to introduce intercultural training for immigrants and employers聽to聽make it easier to communicate at work. This is particularly important because the main concerns that employers have are about language proficiency, cultural and workplace differences,聽as well as retention.

This leads us to another聽one of the study鈥檚聽recommendations: change聽workplace practices to help immigrants and improve retention.

There are signs of improvement. Earlier this year, Canada鈥檚 immigration department found that immigrant retention rates are improving in the region.

Surveyed employers also suggested that the governments, settlement agencies and non-governmental organizations should do more to support things like spousal employment, children鈥檚 education, affordable housing, accessible healthcare as well as improve social connection activities.

漏 色狐入口 All Rights Reserved. Visit to discover your Canadian immigration options.

Join our free newsletter. Get Canada's top immigration stories delivered to your inbox.
Subscribe
Related Topics

Related articles