Canadian HR Reporter Weekly

November 14, 2018 Published weekly by Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. CUSTOMER SERVICE Tel: (416) 609-3800 (Toronto) (800) 387-5164 (outside Toronto) Fax: (416) 298-5106 customersupport.legaltaxcanada@tr.com www.thomsonreuters.ca One Corporate Plaza 2075 Kennedy Road, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M1T 3V4 Director, Media Solutions, Canada: Karen Lorimer Publisher/Editor-in-Chief: Todd Humber todd.humber@thomsonreuters.com (416) 298-5196 Editor/Supervisor: Sarah Dobson sarah.dobson@thomsonreuters.com (416) 649-7896 News Editor: Marcel Vander Wier marcel.vanderwier@thomsonreuters.com (416) 649-7837 Sales Manager: Paul Burton paul.burton@thomsonreuters.com (416) 649-9928 Circulation Co-ordinator: Keith Fulford keith.fulford@thomsonreuters.com (416) 649-9585 Art Director: Dave Escuadro david.escuadro@thomsonreuters.com (416) 649-9358 ©2018 Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher (Thomson Reuters, Media Solutions, Canada). Annual boosts to immigration should benefit employers: Experts BY MARCEL VANDER WIER Touting it as a central pillar of the country's future economic success, the federal government unveiled its three-year immigration plan on Oct. 31. Canada will look to welcome 330,800 new per- manent residents next year, followed by 341,000 in 2020 and 350,000 in 2021 as the immigration rate edges closer to one per cent of the total population. at compares to targets of 310,000 this year and 300,000 the two years before that. e government is focused on attracting the best and brightest from around the world, said Immigra- tion Minister Ahmed Hussen. "e new multi-year immigration levels plan supports Canadian employers and businesses by ensuring they have the skilled labour they need to spur innovation and help to keep our country at the forefront of the global economy," he said. e majority of new residents will enter the country through economic programming designed to address the labour market and skill shortages. e increases come at a time when an aging population and low birth rate are placing growing pressure on the Canadian economy, said Hussen. With the retirement rate rising sharply, eco- nomic growth is becoming a challenge, said Pedro Antunes, executive director of economic outlook and analysis at the Conference Board of Canada in Ottawa. "It's an opportune time to see immigration levels come up," he said. "It's not just generating more economic growth for the sake of economic growth. It's generating more economic growth because we have a chal- lenge in terms of how the aging of the population is affecting dependency ratios." Economic opportunity In the current global environment, Canada has an opportunity to leverage immigration and at- tract high-skilled workers to support its economy, according to Shannon Ker, spokesperson for the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citi- zenship Canada. "Canada has benefitted tremendously from im- migration," she said. "Wave upon wave of immigration has been part of building Canada into what it is today — a country that celebrates multiculturalism and diversity, has a global reputation for being welcoming to people from around the world, and stands up for the most vulnerable." In the past decade, three-quarters of Canada's population growth has come via immigration, said Ker. The government is targeting an immigrant composition of 58 per cent in the economic class, 26 per cent in the family class, with the remaining percentage dedicated to refugees. With five million workers expected to retire by 2036, immigrants will be a "major source" of sci- ence, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills, she said. "Economic immigration is vital to spurring inno- vation domestically and promoting Canada's global competitiveness," said Ker. "e new levels plan re- mains focused on attracting the best and brightest from around the world." "We will continue to work closely with provinces and territories to address regional labour market needs and ensure the benefits of immigration are felt across Canada." But perceptions about immigration are impor- tant, and more can be done to ward off anti-immi- gration movements, said Antunes. "We need to be aware if we are bringing foreign workers in when people have been displaced; we need to understand and acknowledge that." And while immigration rates rise, so must the dedication of funds towards settlement services, language education, credential recognition and the like. Immigrants need to be assured of better labour market outcomes, or the entire strategy could be for naught, he said. Advice for HR As countries like the United States and United Kingdom crack down on immigration, Canada is developing policies that welcome these same work- ers, leading to a "brain gain," said Stephanie Lewin, head of global immigration at Envoy, an immigra- tion tech company in Chicago, Ill. "Canadian employers should invest in making their companies attractive to skilled foreign na- tionals," she said, citing benefits such as green card sponsorship, relocation support and spousal aid. "Workplaces should also make inbound immi- gration easier on the teams that handle them — namely HR and global mobility — so that bringing in foreign national talent doesn't take unreasonable amounts of time or resources," said Lewin. Using tech options and making compliance a company-wide effort can relieve some of the bur- den from HR, she said. By 2034, Canada's natural rate of population in- crease is expected to turn negative — save for im- migration, said Antunes. Employers would be wise to research immigra- tion recruitment frameworks, such as the federal Express Entry program, he said. "If they're stretched to find skills that they need within the domestic workforce, (employers) should be looking abroad."

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