Pathways to Prosperity: Ontario

Policy and Practice Rationale

There is a consensus that early and successful job placement is critical for both the economic and social integration of newcomers. Poor economic outcomes have been linked to social exclusion, poverty, deprivation, reduced educational opportunities for the children of immigrants, and the formation of impoverished neighbourhoods. In response to this assessment and evidence of weak immigrant economic performance, employers have been accorded a growing role in newcomer recruitment by both federal and provincial governments. This extends to greater employer involvement in the recruitment of immigrants, temporary foreign workers and foreign students who have studied in Canada.

As a result of the growing influence exerted by employers and employer associations on newcomer recruitment – and the effect this has had on entry policies, such as the Canada Experience Class, and on the geographic dispersion of new arrivals – interest has grown in the potential contribution by employers to newcomer inclusion, settlement and integration. Employer assistance could take the form of mentoring programs, advanced job training, cultural sensitivity training, and accelerated recognition of foreign work experience and educational credentials. Employers could also play an important role in promoting social and civic integration by providing newcomers with information about life in Canada, providing support for enhanced community connections (for example, through recreation programs), and offering assistance aimed at helping newcomer families to settle and adjust. Evidence of such programs exists across the country but employer involvement in settlement has not been extensively or systematically studied. Certainly, no attempt has been made to carefully analyze and disseminate best practices in this field.

Conceptual/Theoretical Framework

The value proposition for employers wishing to recruit newcomers (immigrants, temporary foreign workers and students) is an understudied area. The study is expected to contribute to a more refined model of employer behaviour and a better understanding of the determinants of employer actions and valuations. As well, the study will provide a deeper understanding of employer motivations and the relationship between employers’ profit maximizing behaviour and their civic interests.

Research Questions

• Specifically, the following questions will be addressed in this research:
• What are the key determinants and barriers to greater employer involvement in newcomer recruitment and selection?
• How does employer involvement in the recruitment and selection of newcomers affect social, economic and civic integration outcomes?
• How are employers involved in integrating newcomers and in promoting community receptivity? What are best practices for employer involvement in integration and inclusion?
• How could employers be motivated to play a greater role in immigrant social and civic integration, and what strategies could be developed to provide employers with the tools and resources to execute such a role?

Description of the Project and Possible Approaches

A series of interrelated studies are proposed for examining the actual and potential role that employers and employer associations might play in newcomer recruitment and subsequent integration. These include the following elements:

1. A study of employer motivation for supporting immigrants and contributing to their integration, as well as for participating in measures aimed at boosting local receptivity. The study would examine the relation between stated employer motivations, on the one hand, and employment circumstances and government policy structures, on the other. The study methods would include interviews, surveys and focus groups with employers to determine their motivation.
2. A study of opportunities for employer engagement in the recruitment and selection of immigrants, temporary foreign workers and students. The study would examine both international and domestic recruitment (through advertising, job fairs and other forms of promotion). Among the factors to be examined are the level of interest by employers as a function of industry, occupation and geographical locale; employer perceptions of the value proposition associated with foreign recruitment; employer perceptions of different recruitment locales and cultural workforce preferences; perceived barriers to informed employer decision-making; and the potential role of other institutions – notably municipalities, employer associations, federal agencies and non-profit organizations – in mediating employer participation. Particular emphasis would be assigned to recruitment by employers in Northern and Francophone communities. Francophone recruitment is particularly interesting because of the elaborate recruitment and selection machinery that has been developed by the federal government in the context of promoting Francophone immigration to Francophone minority communities.
3. A study comparing the outcomes associated with alternative means of recruiting immigrants and temporary foreign workers (whose status is subsequently adjusted through the Canada Experience Class). More specifically, the study would aim to determine the impact of employer involvement on the economic, social and civic outcomes associated with different modes of recruitment and selection.
4. A study of employer-initiated programs aimed at helping employees and their families to settle, as well as promoting a more receptive local environment. The study would examine specialized programs and services offered by employers to newcomers, as well as programs and services offered to all new employees. This latter group of services would be examined for their potential contribution to newcomer settlement. A key element of the study would be an attempt to isolate best practice elements by employers for promoting settlement, integration and inclusion. The research would closely examine a range of services, including: potentially greater involvement by employers in providing information to newcomers; measures aimed at supporting enhanced community connections; assistance directed to newcomer families to facilitate early adjustment; employee mentoring programs; various forms of work-related training; cultural sensitivity training; and methods to accelerate the recognition of foreign work experience and educational credentials. The analysis would seek to establish the type of circumstances to which particular best practices could be transferred.