How Newcomers Can Navigate the Canadian job market

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For newcomers to Canada, navigating the Canadian job market involves a lot of planning, research and effort. 

And for many already here or on their way, it also involves help, advice and financial support from individuals and groups dedicated to making a newcomer's transition into the Canadian workforce as smooth and successful as possible. 

Understanding current industry growth trends across Canada can help new job seekers discover where to look for a job in Canada, how to pick a career path with the potential for growth and how to increase their chances of economic prosperity.

At a recent joint webinar staged by Windmill Microlending, Prepare for Canada and Scotiabank, newcomers - with a focus on women - got a chance to hear advice from two experts: Paula Calderon, the National Director of Client Success at Windmill, and Tanya Eisner, the Senior Vice-President for the Prairie Region of Scotiabank. They both shared how they are supporting newcomers to Canada and women to secure sustainable employment and achieve success. 

Demand for skilled workers is high

Currently, the demand for skilled workers in Canada is high. The unemployment rate in Canada fell to 5.5 percent in February 2022 from 6.5 percent in January. This marked the biggest gain in employment since September of 2020.

Canada is planning to welcome 1.3 million newcomers over three years while clearing an estimated backlog of 1.8 already approved newcomers. Additionally, Canada will be landing more Afghan refugees and thousands of Ukrainians fleeing that country which has been devastated by a Russian invasion. 

As the country slowly emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, opportunities abound in such diverse career categories as the service sector, technology and healthcare but many opportunities also exist in areas such as project management, marketing, welding, engineering, human resources and scores of other jobs that support businesses across numerous sectors.

 Calderon and Eisner took time from their busy schedules to answer questions from both newcomers at the webinar and from Rentals for Newcomers (EdNote: answers have been edited for length and clarity):

What would you say are the most important or key issues facing newcomers in a "post-COVID" era Canada?

Paula Calderon: Newcomers have had the toughest time during COVID, the vast majority are part of the workforce that suffered the most cuts and changes in the labour market. They usually have lower incomes and have seen their earning potential deplete during these last two years, there’s been a lot of instability and uncertainty. 

Windmill's Paula Calderon says planning and preparation are the keys to a post-COVID job search

All this being said, in a “post-COVID” era, I see more opportunity than issues, if they listen carefully and prepare, there will be no shortage of opportunity. This is the time to do some research, learn about all the labour and skill shortages that are being announced, choose a path and look for training opportunities that can help them enter these fields of work. Planning and preparation are key to success and there are many opportunities to overcome barriers to employment nowadays. 

This is the time to seize the opportunity and make your way in.
 

What is the goal of the ScotiaRISE program regarding newcomers to Canada?

 Tanya Eisner: Back in January of 2021 we publicly announced ScotiaRISE. So what is ScotiaRISE? It's a 10-year, $500 million commitment on behalf of Scotiabank to strengthen economic resilience among disadvantaged groups. For Scotiabank, what economic resilience means is enabling individuals, households, communities and economies to thrive under a range of circumstances.

With this initiative, Scotiabank wants to increase economic resilience so that individuals can fully participate in their local economies. And we believe that finding ways to promote economic resilience for underrepresented communities is the strongest path to global prosperity and is a responsibility on us as a bank that we feel that we need to take care of. (ScotiaRISE is) intended to drive meaningful social impact in this important area while also fostering deep engagement with our employees, our customers and our communities.

Scotiabank's Tanya Eisner explains the purpose of ScotiaRISE

So by 2030, that's when our commitments reach $500 million, our commitment is to a couple of areas, such as increasing high school and postgraduate participation. So really this is about helping disadvantaged youth to increase their employment prospects, life opportunities and full participation in the economy.

The second commitment is to help newcomers feel at home by fast-tracking the way to meaningful employment in order to support their contribution to the prosperity and social fabric of the communities.

And then thirdly, removing the barriers to career entry and the advancement of disadvantaged groups. So really helping to enable full inclusion and financial success, those are really the high-level goals of ScotiaRISE. We're super proud of this program and are seeing great success. 

Windmill has an impressive record of success in helping newcomers via micro-loans and mentorship to achieve their educational and career goals in Canada. Who, in your experience, is best suited or positioned to benefit from a microloan program?

Paula Calderon: Any career-oriented individual, who has come to Canada with the goal to succeed and build a life where they can fully utilize their skills and potential. Internationally trained individuals, who are going through a career path that requires, licensing, training or accreditation to practice in their field, or just need some professional development to help them advance their professional goals.

Tanya, what trends can we expect to see in terms of employment, and what advice would you offer newcomers?

Tanya Eisner: So, in our new normal, our next normal or whatever we're calling it, one trend that comes to mind is the changed and evolving requirements of roles.

So for both employers and employees, the ability to be agile, flexible and adaptable is important. Roles are changing. We have some good lessons learned.

So there are positives that we've taken from the Covid world, and so I do think it's an opportunity for people to look at things differently and how they're hiring, how people are working. 

And one thing I think of from an advice standpoint that I would offer up to anybody would be to really understand what are the requirements of a role, what are the expectations.  Asking lots of questions so that you're crystal clear because you want to make sure that the role aligns with your career aspirations as well.

Windmill offers a series of programs for all newcomers but are there programs developed specifically for newcomer women? Why is that important for Windmill?

Paula Calderon: Although Windmill has always supported a pretty even split of immigrant men and women, many studies have shown that (while) the employment landscape is a challenging place for both it is especially challenging for women. So access to jobs, professional networks and opportunities is really not equitable. As a result, international experience and foreign credentials are usually undervalued.

But the earning gap - and we still have an earnings gap between men and women - is particularly worse for newcomer women, and the current settling data has also shown us that the gender impact of COVID-19 has disproportionately affected women and their labour market participation.

So there have been employment disruptions and challenges in balancing work and family faced by women during the pandemic, and this makes it particularly important for us to focus on women with Scotiabank support.

Tanya,  you've been very active in the Scotiabank women's initiative advisory board. What advice do you have for newcomers who are looking at entrepreneurship as a career opportunity?

Tanya Eisner: That's a great question. I'm super proud to be part of the initiative. Maybe I could just take two minutes and just describe the Scotiabank women's initiative.

So really it's designed to increase economic opportunity for individuals who identify as women or non-binary and really it's to help them achieve success. And what it does is provide unbiased access to capital tailored solutions, education advisory services and mentorship as well .

So what I would say is if you're entering into an entrepreneurship venture I suggest that you check out our excellent digital hub which has tonnes of resources, great information, podcasts, live events, virtual events and content and information that will help you navigate your journey.

Again, you can also reach out to any of the contacts at your local branch and get more information, but we do have our website and everything is public. 

So you can access the Scotiabank women initiative on our website and get all of that information and all those resources that I just mentioned as well.
 

 Mentorship seems to be a key component of the Windmill experience. As someone whose career has been about people, relationships and professional development, what would you say is the secret to successful mentor/mentee relationships, and why is having a mentor so important, particularly for newcomers to Canada?

Paula Calderon: The secret to a successful mentor/mentee relationship is clear and open communication, hard work, enthusiasm and trust. If these elements are present, clear goals are set and mentorship relationships become invaluable.

 For newcomers to Canada who have limited connections and lack professional networks, a mentor is the best way to build relationships, establish new connections and learn a lot about Canadian workplace culture, socio-cultural norms and navigating the labour market. 

A good mentorship relationship can help you build skills that are not taught in school, learn a lot about yourself and others, build confidence and prepare to face numerous situations with ease. 

To watch the webinar, click here.

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