Are Canadian employers willing to hire foreigners?
Canada has published interesting results of a survey of companies.
The Business Council of Canada has released the results of a survey of employers on the topic of employing job seekers from abroad. The survey included 80 large companies with a total of 1.65 million employees in more than 20 industries.
About 70% of companies reported that they actively employ job seekers through immigration programs. The same number of employers expect to hire even more foreigners over the next three years. The rest are hiring immigrants who have already moved to Canada.
First of all, immigrants help companies fill jobs that Canadians are reluctant to take. Of the employers who actively hire foreigners, 80% do so because of a labour shortage.
More often than not, employers offer jobs to candidates of the Federal Skilled Worker Program, as well as employ foreigners through the Global Talent Stream.
The Federal Skilled Worker Program is intended for candidates with a university degree, a year of work experience in a skilled occupation, and a good level of English or French. A job offer in Canada greatly increases the chances of immigration under this program.
The Global Talent Stream, in turn, targets highly skilled or highly specialized professionals in certain occupations, who are offered a high-paying position in Canada.
Employers note that they tend to hire candidates with strong professional and human skills.
Half of the companies surveyed are in favour of raising annual admission targets for immigrants to Canada. However, only less than a quarter of respondents believe the current immigration system is meeting labour market needs well. The rest are unhappy with delays in processing applications and complicated rules of immigration programs. Respondents also said that, wherever possible, Canada should invite applicants who best meet the needs of the country's labour market.
