Why Diversity Matters In Your Workplace

“Hiring people with diverse backgrounds and leveraging that diversity is a business imperative.”

From Welcome to Canada. Now what? Unlocking the potential of immigrants for business growth and innovation, Deloitte, 2011

Why hire job-ready immigrants?

• Our population is aging, leading to labour shortages. Ontario’s labour shortage is expected to rise to 364,000 by 2025 (Conference Board of Canada, Ontario’s Looming Labour Shortage Challenges, 2007).
• It’s already hard to find the right employee. Guelph and Wellington County had one of the lowest unemployment rates in Canada in 2012. And we’re still growing!
• We’re not ready! Ontario’s education and training system cannot yet supply enough qualified workers to meet labour shortages.
• Job-ready immigrants are highly educated and experienced. 67% of the area’s new immigrants have a bachelor’s degree or higher (Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo Wellington Dufferin, Immigrant Employment by Field of Study in Wellington County, 2009).
• Recognizing immigrants’ skills is good for the economy. The national cost of not recognizing immigrants’ skills is between $3.4-5 billion per year (Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, A New Direction: Ontario’s Immigration Strategy, 2012, quoting Conference Board of Canada, 2004).

Grow your business with job-ready immigrants…

• Reduce training costs by hiring and retaining people who have the talent, skills and experience you need.
• Build a competitive advantage and tap into new markets by connecting with and understanding an increasingly diverse customer base.
• Enhance productivity, innovation, and decision-making through diverse perspectives, cultural experiences, education and training.