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The immigrant workforce: how much is too much?
BY IAN SUTTON |
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In his report on the impact of immigration on Canada’s labour market, economics consultant Patrick Grady says that, in spite of the changes in immigration policy, earnings of new Canadians have continued to deteriorate compared to those born here. In 2005, recent immigrant men earned only about $30,000, with a university degree, and just over $24,000 without, while recent immigrant women earned $19,000 with a degree and about $14,000 without.
“Most troubling of all is the downtrend in the relative performance of recent immigrants, which shows no signs of abating even as the labor market tightened,” his report says.
“The problem now is you’ve got this continuous deterioration in the labour market performance of immigrants. And now you’ve had the worst recession in the post-war period,” Grady says. “In the past, when you’ve had an economic downturn, the immigration tap had been turned off.”
Grady’s main issue is with immigrants coming into Canada in the economic class – professionals and those with skilled trades – who end up not finding jobs here, even if they find living conditions in Canada often preferable to those in their home country...[ read more ] |
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| FYI LCBO Diversity Day |
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| Janet Naidu, LCBO’s manager of workplace diversity and the ombuds office, started Diversity Day in 2008. The event, which takes place near LCBO headquarters in Toronto, was undertaken to raise awareness about the diversity of its employees, not only in a cultural sense but in terms of abilities, age, literally everything an employee brings to the workplace. The result was not only higher company morale but also a more engaged workforce. According to Naidu, any organization can get the diversity ball rolling....[ read more ] |
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| ETC global news briefs |
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United States
President Barack Obama has named his first transgender appointee to the federal government. Amanda Simpson who underwent a sex change about a decade ago will work as a senior technical advisor at the Commerce Department. Before being named to the post, Simpson was deputy director for Raytheon Missile Systems, as well as a test pilot. She was also the first openly transgendered candidate to win a primary election in the US in a bid for the Arizona state legislature....[ read more ] |
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| MVP diversity champions |
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| This year’s recipients of the New Pioneers Awards are Joan Butterfield (Arts), Antonius Jamal Clarke (Community Service), Sam Bouji (Entrepreneurship), Jamal Deen (Science & Technology), and Karar Jafar (Youth). This year’s Skills for Change graduate is Tsering Dolma. The 18th Annual New Pioneers Awards will be handed out at a gala in Toronto later this month. For more information, www.skillsforchange.org...[ read more ] |
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Ask a Consultant
BY EVELINA SILVEIRA |
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Dear Diversity@Work:
I work for a public organization that I really love. I love the people that I work with and my boss as well. I have been told, however, that I am supposed to hire only people of colour from now on, and people under the age of 35. Haven’t we gone too far with this? It sounds like illegal discrimination to me.
Dismayed
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Dear Dismayed:
I can see why you would feel frustrated and disillusioned. In fact, what you have described is illegal discrimination. This is not the first time I have heard this. Imagine the impact these kinds of hiring practices have on employee morale.
There are several assumptions that I am making from your question. It may be that your company is trying to... [ read more ] |
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POV The daunting statistics
BY DONNA J. JODHAN |
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| Unemployment or under employment has always been a chronic problem for the disabled; especially so for the blind and visually impaired. True, many significant steps have been made over the last two decades, but according to reports produced by agencies such as Statistics Canada, the CNIB, and others, unemployment among disabled Canadians ranges anywhere from 60% to 80%. This figure is exceedingly high when compared to the unemployment statistics for mainstream Canadians and it is a statistic that affects the attitude of many blind and visually impaired Canadians and indeed disabled Canadians seeking employment. This may come as a shocker to the mainstream world but to the visually impaired person, it is neither a shocker nor shaker...[ read more ] |
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BDC Perspective: Why diversity is good for business
BY PETER LAWLER |
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Diversity simply makes good business sense for entrepreneurs, according to Peter Lawler, BDC Senior Vice President, Operations, Ontario.
"If you want to be successful in business, the key is hiring good talent. And today much of that talent comes from diverse communities," he emphasizes. For Lawler, diversity goes beyond visible minorities and ethnic groups and can encompass groups such as seniors, young people, or persons with disabilities. "Ultimately, your company's workforce should reflect the community at large. If it doesn't, you may be missing out on an opportunity to reach these important markets," he adds.
The war for talent
Diversity is particularly relevant in a highly competitive labour market, says Lawler. "Demographics such as the exit of baby boomers from our labour force have changed the recruitment landscape. Companies are often vying for the same and limited pool of skilled people. It's natural that business owners now need to be more creative to meet their recruitment needs," he says. "Immigrants, for example, represent much of the population growth today. If you want to recruit successfully today, you need to make your company attractive to this target group."... [ read more ] |
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