Small Business BC connected with the Immigrant Employment Council of BC to learn how small businesses can thrive by employing immigrants. IEC-BC CEO Patrick MacKenzie shared insights and tips for successfully harnessing the power of newcomer talent.
“As a small business, it can be daunting to hire newcomers for the first time,” said Patrick. “But even with no HR department, a few simple steps can help you hire and develop new talent, ultimately growing your business and strengthening your team.”
Did you know?
- In 2021, more than 8.3 million people (23 percent) of the population were (or had ever been) landed immigrants or permanent residents in Canada.
- According to Statistics Canada, many recent immigrants were selected for their ability to contribute to Canada’s economy.
- In BC, 33.1% of the core-age labour force are immigrants.
Benefits of Hiring Newcomer Talent
Patrick shared that newcomers bring a ton of benefits to the table. “First, it takes courage and determination to uproot your life and move to a new country, and there will be challenges along the way. Immigrants have overcome these challenges and will bring this attitude to work,” he said.
“Second, for small businesses, customer relationships are paramount. Having a diverse team representative of the larger population can help you understand customer needs for more people.
Also, small businesses looking to expand into new markets can benefit from immigrants’ global perspectives. A diverse team means that various perspectives and experiences allow teams to approach challenges and opportunities from many angles.
Misconceptions about Hiring Newcomers
One of the biggest misconceptions about hiring newcomers is that immigrants need to have Canadian experience.
“We’ve noticed that ‘Canadian experience’ is mainly a shorthand for a general sense that someone can do the job and understand expectations in a Canadian workplace,” said Patrick.
“Employers can unlock new talent pools by looking past Canadian experience and focusing on candidates’ skills and potential. Setting up clear communication around workplace policies and expectations helps onboard new team members, newcomers or not,” said Patrick.
Another common misconception is that immigrants need visa sponsorship. Patrick says that many newcomers in Canada have open work permits and can be hired like any other candidate.
Where Newcomer Talent Thrives
BC’s hospitality industry is where you’ll find many newcomers thriving in the job market, but tech and senior care are also popular.
“In BC, the technology sector has been a consistent source of demand for newcomer talent for some time, and we expect this to continue, even if there are ups and downs,” said Patrick.
“One less obvious sector is Senior care. As our population ages, the demand for people in many occupations, from nurses to administrators to cooks and more, is growing. We’ve launched an initiative with the BC Care Providers Association to connect newcomers with employers in the sector,” said Patrick.
Connecting with Newcomer Talent
Ready to connect with newcomer talent? Review your recruitment process and identify ways you may be missing out on or excluding potential talent – IEC-BC can help ensure that processes and policies are in place to support new employees, including onboarding, orientation, and diversity training. Visit the Employer Learning Hub to learn more.
Next, develop an onboarding checklist and an orientation process for new employees – consider things like company policies and practices and appoint another employee as the point person for questions from new hires.
- Sign up for BC Job Connect – a free service connecting skilled immigrants with employers who post jobs with qualified candidates at no obligation.
- Connections Events – In-person or virtual events connecting employers looking to hire skilled newcomers in their field.
- MentorConnect – Employers can build leadership skills among their teams by having interested staff sign up as newcomer mentors.
- National Employer Learning Hub – Resources for employers, put together by IEC-BC and partner organizations across Canada.
- FAST – Skills assessment across six sectors, plus workplace readiness for immigrants.
- ASCEND – Soft skills development and personal branding to support immigrants getting hired and progressing their careers.
“Be open-minded,” advised Patrick. “If you want the benefits of a team with a diversity of thought and experience, focus your recruitment on skills, abilities, and potential, not just Canadian experience. Skills and attitude are very often more important than credentials,” he said. “Clear, open, and empathetic communication around expectations and practices helps newcomers adapt and thrive.”
Small Business BC is Here to Help
SBBC is a non-profit resource centre for BC-based small businesses. Whatever your idea of success is, we’re here to provide holistic support and resources at every step of the journey. Check out our range of business webinars, on-demand E-Learning Education, our Talk to an Expert Advisories, or browse our business articles.