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2004: The Year We Should Get Serious About The Potential of Immigrants

Key stakeholder speaks to the waste of immigrant talent at Human Resources conference.
Toronto, ON (December 5, 2003) – In a speech this week to the Human Resources Professionals of Ontario at HR Solutions 2003 in Ottawa, Timothy Owen, Director of World Education Services, gave stark evidence of the wasted opportunity that employers may face by not recognizing Canada’s hidden pool of talent: immigrants with the skills to fill Canada’s looming skill shortage.
Owen’s remarks reflect the growing frustration of a wide-ranging group of stakeholders, employers, and foreign-trained applicants. The gap between our immigration policies and on-the-ground hiring practices result in skills shortages, employment underutilization, and the growing economic cost of ignoring our human resource potential.
“We know that there are 300,000 empty jobs out there right now, and many more highly qualified immigrants with the very skills employers are looking for,” stated Owen. “We need to recognize the opportunities we have, and move beyond talking about the problem.”
A number of experts have stated there is a skills shortage in Canada that will soon have far-reaching and detrimental affects on the country’s economy:

Statistics Canada says 1/3 of our labour force will be ready to retire by the end of the decade

Conference Board of Canada predicts 1 million skilled job vacancies in the next 20 years

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business says there are already 300,000 job vacancies for skilled workers, 3/4 of them vacant for more than 3 months

By 2008, Canada will need an additional 1.5 million workers, 900,000 in Ontario alone, according to the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association. Toronto is especially at risk. According to a recent report by the City of Toronto Economic Development department, Toronto will fall into a skills shortage crisis by 2010. The city estimates that it will be unable to fill 400,000 jobs if the new federal, provincial and municipal governments and the private sector don’t attend to identifying and integrating new skilled workers to meet shortages.
Many organizations point to the need for better assessment tools and improved awareness in the business community of the talented internationally trained workforce that is already in the country. The Toronto Board of Trade, Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council, Ontario Regulators for Access, the Ontario Task force on Competitiveness, Productivity and Economic Progress, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters and the Maytree Foundation have all called for increased use of foreign credentials evaluation as a “first step” tool for employers.
Few employers are, in fact, taking this first step, and looking at the qualifications of skilled, internationally educated talent. World Education Services, an independent organization which validates international credentials, and provides Canadian comparisons, is working with government and other organizations in developing coordinated efforts to fill vacant positions before Canada’s competitive advantage falters.
2004 is an ideal time to address this important issue as three new levels of government come to power and identify their priorities. By bringing this issue to the attention of both government and business circles, Canada will stand a much better chance of avoiding labour shortages and the detrimental effects they have on Canada’s economy.