Workforce Challenges and Barriers
Immigrants, upon entering the workforce in Canada, often experience challenges and barriers, including:
- Lack of recognition of previous experience/requirement for Canadian work experience
- Lack of recognition of foreign credentials
- Disconnect between the skills immigrants bring and hope to use, and the occupations that employers hope they can fill once they arrive
- Negative public attitude towards accents
- Lack of connections to the job market
- Lack of skills bridging opportunities
- Lack of full understanding of Canadian workplace culture
(Source: The Edmonton Region Immigrant Employment Council)
Overall Challenges of Immigrants - StatsCan Report:
Employers can prepare for these challenges by becoming informed. Current recruitment and hiring practices, as well as, on-the-job integration, may require different approaches for an immigrant employee. Visit our section on Hiring Tools for more information and resources to help at various stages of business development.