Each week Get In The Know scours the web for news and events related to immigration and newcomer settlement and employment and shares its findings here!
The news and events focus on what’s happening in Surrey and surrounding communities but, when relevant, you will also find news and events at a provincial and national level. To stay current with newcomer issues, visit each week and subscribe to our weekly bulletin.
News
100 job applications later, this newcomer still can’t restart his engineering career in Canada
CBC News | The Current | Mouhamad Rachini | Nov 10, 2023
Proposed B.C. legislation aims to remove employment barriers faced by foreign-trained migrants.
Rex Gonzales worked as an industrial engineer and project manager for 16 years in the Philippines. But he’s struggled to find work in his field since moving to Canada — despite applying for almost 100 jobs.
“Unfortunately, until now, after two or three months of applying for a job, I haven’t received any call for an interview,” he told The Current’s guest host Duncan McCue.
Gonzales moved to Vancouver in July 2022 with his wife and young daughter. Hoping to improve his chhttps://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrentances in the Canadian job market, he worked as a deli clerk while completing a master’s degree in business administration. He also got a certification in project management.
The trends of immigrant employment in Canada
CIC News | Asheesh Moosapeta | October 2, 2023
Canada’s workforce is one of the most skilled in the world—due not just to excellent educational institutions within the country, but also because of highly skilled newcomers who arrive to Canada annually and drive growth in the labour force.
However, how successful are newcomers at finding employment in Canada, in the short, medium, and long-term?
BC announces new rules to streamline international credential recognition
The B.C. government has announced it is improving credential recognition for internationally-trained professionals in order for them to work in the province.
Premier David Eby took part in a town hall Tuesday in order to address barriers for professionals who are trained in other countries. This means anyone who has education, skills and work experience from outside Canada that is recognized as comparable to Canadian standards.
According to the provincial government, over the next decade, 387,000 newcomers are expected to enter the workforce and fill 38 per cent of job openings.
Eby said in order to break down those barriers, the government will be introducing legislation this fall to help boards improve the credential recognition process and make it easier for people to use their skills to work in B.C., no matter where they receive their training.
Province of BC strengthens supports for international credential recognition
People with international credentials will be better supported to get their professional credentials recognized in BC and start working sooner in their field.
“We know that many internationally trained professionals are struggling to have their credentials recognized in their chosen profession,” said Andrew Mercier, Minister of State for Workforce Development. “This is about fairness and making sure that people who have the skills and expertise can access supports and services provided through their local non-profit and immigrant service organizations.”
The Government of BC is providing $1.5 million to the Association of Service Providers for Employability and Career Training (ASPECT) for new grants to organizations that help internationally trained professionals get through the credential recognition process.
Results from Government of BC engagement on credential recognition
More than 1,450 people gave feedback through wide-ranging public engagement on the international credential-recognition progress in BC this year.
In spring 2023, the Province asked internationally trained professionals, educational institutions, immigrant-serving organizations, business associations, health-care associations, regulatory authorities and members of the public for their feedback about international credential recognition through a series of roundtables and an online survey.
Canada wastes the skills of its immigrants, and the economy suffers as a result
Globe & Mail | Claudia Hepburn, CEO, Windmill Microlending | June 15, 2023
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development has predicted Canada’s economic growth will be dead last among 40 advanced economies over the next half decade. This shocking statistic is based on per capita growth in gross domestic product, which is the country’s productivity divided by the total population. How can we fix that?
Ontario Removing Unfair Work Barriers for Skilled Newcomers
Professional Engineers Ontario first regulated profession to remove Canadian experience requirement following provincial legislation.
The Ontario government is leading the country with changes to help internationally-trained immigrants work in the fields they’ve studied in. After introducing historic legislation that banned regulated professions from requiring Canadian work experience in more than 30 occupations, Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) are the first association to remove it from their application criteria. This has the potential to help thousands of otherwise-qualified professionals pursue their dreams over the coming years, all while maintaining Ontario’s world-class licensing and exam requirements.
Celebrating diversity with Canada’s 5-Star DE&I Employers
Canadian HR Report| August 17, 2023
Canadian HR Reporter recognizes the 5-Star DE&I Employers of 2023 for their outstanding efforts to create a more inclusive future in HR. These top-tier employers are setting the bar for DE&I initiatives by clearly defining their objectives and backing them through industry-leading policies positively shaping their workplaces.