Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good morning, Chair, and members of the committee.
I would like to thank you for inviting me today to speak in the context of the study of labour market development agreements. My remarks will largely relate to my recent work as a researcher, where I led a knowledge synthesis study on the role of employers in bridging newcomers' absorption and integration into the Canadian labour market, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council this past year.
The project was undertaken by a research team affiliated with the Pathways to Prosperity partnership, a national research alliance of university, community, and government partners dedicated to fostering welcoming communities and promoting the integration of immigrants across Canada.
The primary purpose of the synthesis was to provide a broad overview of current research and to document key components in order to identify specific gaps based on existing research evidence. The methodology included a systematic scoping review of a wide range of peer-reviewed and grey literature resources and methodologies. Published studies are found in journal articles, book and book chapters, dissertations, and background materials, as well as research commissioned by government departments and other stakeholder agencies, research institutions, think tanks, and employer and business-related organizations. In addition, 188 e-mails were sent to employers, employer councils, and settlement agencies for additional resources.
Because the Canadian-born workforce is aging, baby boomers are retiring and the number of young workers entering the workforce is declining, there is also a growing skills and labour shortage amidst global competition for talent. As skilled Canadian-born workers are becoming increasingly difficult to find, immigrants will play a more significant role in Canada's labour force. Governments in Canada have been taking steps to address these issues by formulating and implementing changes to the immigration program to make it more employer-oriented. Employers are also being invited to participate in skill training initiatives such as the Canada job grant. In this context there is a need to consider employer practices and behaviour that will help to close the skills gap.
Employers are key actors in the immigration system. Employers are actively encouraged to hire newcomers in Canada, yet newcomers face challenges from the lack of recognition of their foreign education and work credentials, and this hard reality is forcing a re-examination of the long-standing federal attachment to the human capital model with a view to achieving earlier labour market integration. Greater and more direct employer involvement in the immigration programs may call for new approaches in the immigration integration continuum and strategies to support the capacities of employers to engage. For example, the express entry system will provide a new opportunity for an increased role for employers, in part to facilitate a better match between skilled immigrants and the labour market.
The federal and provincial governments, the community of employers, and service providers all have roles to play in increasing employers' capacity to hire and recruit immigrants.
The federal government's role in the immigration program has a tremendous impact on employers in terms of making decisions on who is admitted to Canada, including foreign workers and foreign students. In this context, immigration policies and programs affect employers' hiring practices in the workplaces and the ability to attract, retain, and integrate newcomers.
There is evidence in the literature reviewed of the international race for skilled labour in the new knowledge economy that makes it necessary for immigration policies and programs to attract the skilled workers that the economy needs, as well as to offer and provide a desirable future for immigrants. The literature describes the pressure to change immigration policies to better reflect labour market realities. The literature also suggests that immigration policies are trying to address common barriers faced by newcomers. The provincial nominee program, Canadian experience class, temporary foreign worker, and express entry, are all prominently featured in the literature with respect to the supply and development of skills.
The synthesis found a lack of evidence of employer engagement in the provision of settlement services, notwithstanding the substantial employer's stake in hiring and optimizing immigrant workers. Employer involvement in settlement has not been extensively or systematically studied, and there has been no attempt to carefully analyze and disseminate best practices in this field. There is a large gap in the literature on skills implementation in the labour market from the perspectives of employers.
Although the literature identifies difficulties that employers face when hiring skilled immigrant workers, there is little information directly from the employers' perspective or information on what employers are actually doing in the workplace. The literature mostly focuses on barriers that arise in the workplace and what employers could be doing to address those barriers. The online literature clearly articulates a number of motivations and value propositions for hiring newcomers and foreign workers.
The labour market development agreements enable provinces and territories to support a wide range of unemployed and employed individuals with employment services, skills development, upgrading, work experience, and more.
Comprehensive approaches to labour market training are needed to develop the skills of low-skilled workers who are already in the labour market and to increase the labour market participation of groups that remain under-represented such as immigrants, persons with disabilities, aboriginal people, youth, and older workers.
With the gaps in the literature, it is critical to better understand how employers and employer organizations foster meaningful employment and settlement for immigrants. Further research is needed to explore the employers' perspective on how they assist in the integration of immigrants and what benefits or challenges are faced by employers in this process.
Research on good practices by leading employers and by small and medium-sized employers should be undertaken to share successful practices that can be of value to other employers. Immigrant employment councils, community organizations, government, and other stakeholders must look to employer leaders for meaningful immigrant employment solutions in urban and small city contexts. Research is needed to better understand how decent work that provide living wages, benefits, and social protection mechanisms can be made available to more workers in the mainstream labour market and in immigrant communities. Finally, research is needed on employer-initiated programs aimed at helping employees and their families to settle as well as promoting a more receptive local environment. Employers' role vis-à-vis newcomers' families has yet to be considered.
Thank you.