Hiring Immigrants is just good business sense.
That was the key message at a breakfast event for local employers, hosted by the County of Simcoe earlier this week.
Not only do newcomers help fill Canada’s labour needs, they can bring new language skills — providing new connections to customers and overseas markets, explained Rachel Sullivan, the county’s manager of economic development.
“We’ve been spending a lot of time talking with employers across the board,” she said, noting the county provides resources for immigrants and the business community.
The face of Simcoe County is changing, said Sandra Lee, manager of the Simcoe County Local Immigration Partnership.
About 13 per cent of the county’s 476,000 residents were immigrants in 2016 — and that is increasing, she said.
Lee highlighted areas of even greater diversity: Innisfil, where about 16 per cent of the population is foreign born, Wasaga Beach, about 18 per cent, and Bradford West Gwillimbury — at about 28 per cent in 2016 is the highest in Simcoe County.
The fastest-growing language groups were Russian, Tamil, Farsi and Spanish, she said.
“What does that mean from an employer perspective?” Lee asked.
While employers need to consider partnerships to provide English as a second language (ESL) classes and training and establish diversity committees, she said, it also means access to global markets and a staffing model that better reflects the changing consumer base.
Keynote speakers at the event, held at The Club at Bond Head, were Steve Owen of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, who spoke about the new points-based immigration process, and Evelina Silveira, president of Diversity at Work workplace inclusion services.
Silveira provided a template for creating a welcoming workplace for new Canadians — from ensuring the new worker’s name is pronounced correctly, to explaining expectations and workplace standards, policies and regulations, and even common slang and lunchtime culture.
For more information, visit www.hireimmigrans.simcoe.ca.
