In the survey sample, 58% of employers had experience hiring and employing recent immigrants. Just under 8% of employers were deemed bilingual in that employees were required to speak some language other than English in the workplace. The most common other language required was French. The research was guided by a partnership between Workforce Planning Hamilton, the Francophone Immigration Network, and the Hamilton Immigration Partnership Council’s (HIPC) Employment Working Group. The complete project report can be downloaded from www.workforceplanninghamilton.ca.
About the HIPC Employment Working Group
Comprised of local service providers, government, and business organizations, the Employment Working Group of the Hamilton Immigration Partnership Council focuses on the employment and labour market needs of recent immigrants to Hamilton. This Working Group seeks to increase newcomers’ awareness of employment and training services, improve newcomers’ access to the local labour market, and engage employers to support the hiring and integration of newcomers in the workplace. Sources: Sarah V. Wayland and Gerald Bierling, Hiring Immigrants Project: Final Report (Hamilton: Workforce Planning Hamilton, 2013); Statistics Canada, Study: Projected trends to 2031 for the Canadian labour force, The Daily, August 17, 2011; Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Facts and Figures 2012 Preliminary tables; Sarah V. Wayland, 2010. A Demographic Profile of Immigrants in Hamilton, Final Report. Prepared for the City of Hamilton Immigration Strategy; Census of Canada (2006); Labour Force Survey (2012). This document was prepared by Sarah V. Wayland, PhD, as part of the Hiring Immigrants Project (2013.)
June 2013
Funded by:
diverse
COMPETITIVE activities ADVANTAGE benefits
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Hamilton employers, are you looking to strengthen your competitive advantage? resources
cost
To gain a better understanding of employer readiness for hiring recent immigrants (arriving within the past 10 years) in Hamilton, several organizations came together to conduct a survey of local employers. A total of 318 employers responded to the survey which was administered by three trained telephone agents. The sample is representative of the overall employer population in Hamilton with respect to sector and size (81% goods producing, 19% services producing; more than half of respondents had fewer than 20 employees). The survey was followed by focus groups and interviews with more than 40 local employers.
capabilities
Just under 4,000 immigrants came to Hamilton in 2012, more than half of them expressing their intention to work here. Despite having high levels of education on the whole, many immigrants have difficulty finding jobs that fit their experience and skills.
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About the Hiring Immigrants Project
Increase your access to needed skills Improve employee retention Improve your productivity Increase innovation in your company Increase your connections to new markets Enhance your corporate image
Are you aware of the following facts? • Among recent immigrants to City of Hamilton, just under half were of prime working age (age 25-44), and more than half expressed their intention to work. • Immigrants to Hamilton have higher levels of education than the Canadian-born population. Close to 40% of new permanent residents in the Hamilton area have a university degree. • Yet, immigrants, especially recent immigrants, have higher unemployment than their Canadian-born counterparts. • Top occupations include researchers, sale and marketing managers, healthcare professionals, financial auditors and accountants, and engineers. • The under utilization of a significant portion of the labour market costs employers, hinders innovation, and places unnecessary limits on earnings and therefore tax revenue. • Immigrant employment will be critical to Hamilton’s labour force growth in the years ahead. Within two decades, approximately one in every three people in the Canadian labour force will be foreign-born.
A diverse workforce gives your business a competitive advantage.