Le talent mondial sous-utilisé par les employeurs canadiens

Les employeurs canadiens ont encore beaucoup de travail à faire s’ils veulent bien utiliser le talent de travailleurs qualifiés internationaux, selon le PDG du Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada Yuen Pau Woo.

À la lumière du sommet sur l’emploi des immigrants en Colombie-Britannique, Woo soumet que malgré les discours sur le besoin de talent étranger, la plupart des employeurs canadiens ne profitent pas du potentiel des immigrants – fait qui est souligné par le poids donné par les responsables de ressources humaines à l’expérience de travail au Canada.

« La grand majorité des entreprises au Canada sont indifférents à l’expérience de travail à Dubai, Seoul, ou Sao Paulo » écrit Woo dans un récent article du Vancouver Sun. « Par contre, lorsque les employeurs dans des villes globales recrutent le talent global, ils recherchent véritablement des travailleurs calés en relations internationales et avec une expérience globale. »

Le problème avec le climat économique au Canada, selon Woo, est qu’il est orienté vers l’interne. Plutôt que de fixer les industries d’exportation et de ressources, les employeurs canadiens devraient chercher à renforcer les industries des connaissances et de l’information, lesquels permettraient aux entreprises de profiter des ressources des immigrants et de demeurer concurrentiels au niveau mondial.

L’organisation de Woo est témoin de la frustration des nouveaux venus qualifiés qui ne peuvent pas trouver d’emplois au Canada. Souvent, ils n’ont d’autre option que de déménager.

Le phénomène pourrait toutefois être utilisé au bénéfice des employeurs canadiens, selon Woo. Plutôt que de se méfier des travailleurs internationaux, de dire qu’ils sont « déloyaux », et de leur enlever leur statut, les canadiens devraient encourager les projets de ces travailleurs qui pourraient renforcer leur attachement et loyauté envers le Canada et assurer des liens économiques à long terme.

« La Colombie-Britannique s’est établie comme porte d’accès Asie-Pacifique, » conclut Woo. « Grâce à une série d’investissements stratégiques dans l’infrastructure de transport, nous avons réussi à générer un important mouvement de biens et de personnes à travers Vancouver, avec les avantages économiques qui en découlent. Le défi est maintenant de créer une porte d’accès économique, où la richesse est créée par le talent mondial présent dans la région. »

Source : Vancouver Sun

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Top Canadian Economist Champions Immigration

Canada must recognize the potential economic advantage that immigrants bring if it wishes to remain globally competitive, according to one of the country’s top economists.

In a recent piece for the Globe and Mail, Royal Bank of Canada chief executive officer Gordon Nixon, calls for more efforts to tap into under-utilized immigrant skills. He points to a recent RBC study which found that if newcomers earned equal wages to their Canadian-born counterparts, personal income in Canada would increase by $31 billion.

Nixon first calls out employers, saying that more needs to be done to promote diversity in the workplace and embrace international experience.

“A work force with global experience is a competitive advantage,” argues Nixon, who is also chair of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council. “International experience is an asset to business. Too often, we hear that newcomers with no Canadian experience would be hard to fit into the Canadian work force. In truth, international experiences relate directly to the modern Canadian context.”

Secondly, states Nixon, governments need to continue the work that they are doing with other levels of government, as well as stakeholders in the community. More funding should go toward skills assessment and training, as well as community support services and cultural activities.

Immigration has helped make Canada the country it is today. We must not forget that part of our heritage if we wish to continue to contribute and compete in the interdependent global marketplace.

“The lesson of our history is clear and points the way to future economic prosperity and success: Canada has relied on diversity and immigration to build a prosperous economy and will continue to do so in the years ahead. We are good at it, but we need to get better to maintain that competitive edge.”

Source: Globe and Mail

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  • Published in May
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Global Talent Remains Underutilized by Canadian Employers

Canadian employers still have plenty of work to do if they truly aim to attract and utilize skilled workers from abroad, according to the president and CEO of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada Yuen Pau Woo.

In light of the recent Immigrant Employment Summit in British Columbia, Woo argues that despite the common rhetoric touting the need for foreign skills most Canadian employers are not tapping into immigrant potential – a disconnect highlighted by the heavy emphasis recruiters place on having Canadian experience.

“The vast majority of businesses in Canada don’t care if employees have had work experience in Dubai, Seoul, or Sao Paulo,” writes Woo in a recent piece for the Vancouver Sun. “On the other hand, when employers in global cities advertise for global talent, they are truly looking for workers with international savvy and experience.”

The problem with the current economic climate in Canada, says Woo, is that it is very domestic-oriented. Instead of such heavy resource and export-based industry, Canadians employers should be looking to expand the knowledge and information sectors, which will allow them to tap into the underutilized immigrant resources and remain globally competitive.

Woo’s organization sees first-hand the frustration experienced by newcomers who cannot find a job in Canada. Many of them are left with no other choice but to relocate elsewhere.

This phenomenon, however, could be used to Canadian employers’ advantages, argues Woo. Instead of being suspicious of global workers, labelling them as “disloyal,” and revoking status, Canadians should encourage these workers’ endeavours which could actually strengthen their loyalty to Canada and ensure long-term economic ties.

“B.C. has established itself as an Asia Pacific Gateway,” concludes Woo. “Through a series of strategic investments in transportation infrastructure, we have succeeded in generating large and growing flows of goods and people though Vancouver, with attendant economic benefits. The bigger challenge now is to build a gateway economy, where wealth is generated not just by what flows through the gateway, but also by the globally-connected talent that works within it.”

Source: Vancouver Sun

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