Hiring Immigrants

[xarir]

The federal government has a push on to hire more immigrants. In the downtown core there are a few signs advertising this initiative and there's also a website setup as well (http://www.hireimmigrants.ca)

I just posted a job on Workopolis and over the weekend we had 26 people apply. HR screened them and passed on 15 resumes to me. Interestingly, every single one of them was an immigrant. Applicants come from Russia, Pakistan, Israel, China and Colombia. Only a few applicants have some schooling here (Canada / US); the rest were all educated in what is presumably their home nation.

I find this quite fascinating and I'm eager to meet a few of the candidates, not just to see if they have the skills I need for the job that needs to be done, but also to see what they're like. I'm a strong believer in the multi-cultural society we have here and I'm pleased that I'll be able to hire an immigrant. But I also find it remarkable that not a single Canadian-bred (or at least, Canadian educated) person has a resume that made the initial cut.

 

[stinkynuts]

I have mixed feelings on this.

My father, who graduated with a PhD faced widespread racism during his studies, and when it came time for finding a job, it was impossible. All of his friends who were minorities were also unemployed or seriously underemployed despite strong academic backgrounds.

Here, in Toronto, you see people driving cabs who have advanced degrees in computer science and science. Yet, people with much weaker credentials who are Canadian are able to find cushy office jobs in companies. There is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that minorities still face discrimination.

But at least the situation is not as bad as France, where being foreign, or even being born in France, but to immigrants, means second class citizenship, and where unemployment is sky high because of overt racism.

Having said that, I believe that the person who should be hired should be the most qualified person, period. Passing on qualified Canadian citizens just because they are Canadian is just as bad as discriminating against someone because they are not.

 

[21pro]

either way it doesn't really matter. we're all borrowing space on this land anyways.

90% of my employees are 1st gen immies or FOBs. They are very hard workers and eager to learn new skills. One negative I've experienced though is their eagerness to leave and try and steal your business from you. thankfully my business is protected and is largely patent and royalty based. can't blame them for trying to make their own go at things... still, from other business owners, i have heard horror stories and usually get a plethora of them whenever i go to the Brampton Board of Trade meetups.

btw- be careful of hiring criminals.

 

[2SOON JR]

xarir what positions do u hire for ?

not an immigrant but just exploring my options

 

[tboy]

Actually, facing racial discrimination is different than "not hiring an immigrant"......as for Canadian people getting jobs, ummm doesn't matter what colour you are, if you were born here or have obtained citizenship, you're Canadian.

As for people with phds, doctorates etc driving cabs, that is because of our educational standards NOT because they are immigrants. If our school system recognizes the schooling from another country, then they'd be able to get the same job. Unfortunately many other countries do not have the same standards as Canada does.

I say if they take and pass the same rigorous tests that our doctors have to take, then they should be able to practice here.

I actually find this "push" a little offensive in the sense that it is reverse discrimination......

 

[peteeey]

Try getting a job in Quebec if your name isn't French sounding.

But at least the situation is not as bad as France, where being foreign, or even being born in France, but to immigrants, means second class citizenship, and where unemployment is sky high because of overt racism.

 

[xarir]

I actually find this "push" a little offensive in the sense that it is reverse discrimination......

It is in a way but at the same time, many immigrants aren't full Canadian citizens yet. As they work towards fulfilling the requirements of becoming Canadian, they still need a job. As such it's fair for the government (who let these people in, in the first place) to encourage hiring. The "push" is really just another aspect of immigration policy; ultimately you need to promote the concept that people should be productive contributors in society. Letting people in to Canada then doing nothing after that wouldn't create that productive society.

Anyway, I'm still surprised that no home-grown talent made the cut. It's possible there were a few in the resumes that didn't get passed on to me, but clearly 15 out of 26 are immigrants. That alone is an interesting stat.

For the record, I work for a big, bad financial corporation. Our jobs are all definitely white-collar.

 

[superman]

theres a difference between smart immigrants and stupid immigrants

dont hire a stupid immigrant for the sake of

 

[stinkynuts]

Yes, same goes for teachers. Those who receive certification in Ontario are still unable to find jobs.

 

[2SOON JR]

For the record, I work for a big, bad financial corporation. Our jobs are all definitely white-collar.

thank u, thats the kind of job i work now too (White Collar)

but alas looking elsewhere is not helping ATM :-(

 

[yaya17]

Whats wrong with just hiring the most qualified person for the position. Who cares what color they are or where they come from. If they are Canadian then great - if they are fresh off the boat and are the most qualified then all the more power too them - hire them instead.

If you were running a company wouldn't you want the best staff available or would you prefer the most diverse staff?

 

[j_anderson]

If you were running a company wouldn't you want the best staff available or would you prefer the most diverse staff?

I would only hire hot chicks.

 

[stinkynuts]

thank u, thats the kind of job i work now too (White Collar)

but alas looking elsewhere is not helping ATM :-(

You never go ATM

 

[Brotherman]

www.notcanada.com
www.notcanada.net


there is a huge discussion on this.

 

[21pro]

^ I'm gonna play that on my magnophone while i drive up and down Sandalwood Parkway in Brampton tonight at 3am.

 

[tboy]

sorry tboy but you wrong there. I know a lot of foreign trained doctors and engineers (polish, indian, iranian etc) who have come to canada and been unable to find a job. and this was after passing all the written exams in canada. they've then applied for a jobs in the states and got them instantly because their qualifications are top notch.

I can't believe ANY doctor who passed all the examinations and did their internships would get turned away since we are facing a medical crisis here.

I'd be interested in seeing some documented cases of this by a reputable organization before I accept that as fact.

As for engineers/architects etc it could be that there are just more jobs in the US but still, for anyone to hire a foreignor in the US you have to basically jump through hoops in order to do that and one of the criteria is that you have to prove to immigration that there is no US citizen available to do the job. That was the story I rec'd when I was offerred a job in the US. It isn't as simple as driving across the border, applying then starting work. I mean it could be, but they'd be working illegally.

I'm not saying it doesn't happen but I know the sun (I think it was, or was it the post?) ran a story about an engineer who came here and was told he had to repeat ALL the schooling before being accredited.......

I can see this applying to many fields because our building standards are different than other countries.......

 

[Lustology]

Many of my immigrant friends have moved to america because their parents were recognized as qualified doctors there. They are making six times more money than the average Canadian does at the moment.

I still can't believe we even have doctors here, i would demand at least 4 figures if i was. Study hard and get paid less

 

[Keebler Elf]

Whats wrong with just hiring the most qualified person for the position. Who cares what color they are or where they come from. If they are Canadian then great - if they are fresh off the boat and are the most qualified then all the more power too them - hire them instead.

If you were running a company wouldn't you want the best staff available or would you prefer the most diverse staff?

Sounds like that's exactly what the OP is doing. And Canadian-born applicants didn't make the cut.

We're long past your argument. There's such a skills and manpower shortage that employers can't afford to weed out non-Canadians. But when the vast majority of skilled Canadians are already employed or skilled in jobs that are no longer needed, then you have to turn to immigrants. Which, btw, every nation in the Western world is doing.

 

[Keebler Elf]

I can't believe ANY doctor who passed all the examinations and did their internships would get turned away since we are facing a medical crisis here.

Believe it.

There are many countries where medical training is considered downright primitive compared to ours. The level of training and education are sub-par by North American standards. Do you want one of those people operating on YOU?

Another part of the problem are people who worked in countries with health care technology that's decades behind the times.

I'm all for training up immigrants and getting their skills recognized in Canada. But when it comes to fields such as health care, I want them to take a long, hard look at whether or not the immigrants truly have the skills and experience necessary to work here. Yeah, he was a doctor in rural Pakistan. That's great. But I don't want him operating on me thank you very much.

If they can pass our exams and qualifications, no problem. Hire 'em. And I'm sure the health care sector does. But when their English is so poor that they can't write a proper medical report/subscription, or the nurses can't understand WTF they're saying, sorry but I don't want that risk being posed to patients. And, btw, not being to read/write/speak English well enough is the most common shortfall of immigrants.

 

[tboy]

Keeb, you misunderstood, I agree with everything you say but if a doctor's training from another country is the same quality as ours (and it is proven by them meeting all our standards) then they shouldn't be passed over.

As for the language barrier: I honestly think that ought to be a pre-requisite of our immigration policy. It's not like english is some obscure language from the depths of the amazon. It's the number one spoken language in the world (next to chinese lol).