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Rarely a week goes by when I don’t read a story highlighting the deepening chasm between the demand for skilled workers and the actual supply in Canada.
The consequences for not addressing this growing shortfall are profound. Slower economic growth leading to a loss of competitiveness and a declining standard of living are the most obvious challenges we face if we don’t do more to address our impending work force deficit.
We all know the professions that have a seemingly insatiable appetite for the best and brightest. They include medical, legal, engineering, IT and accounting. But do we really suffer from a lack of talent or are we just not tapping into an obvious resource?
Mar 11, 2008 04:30 AM
Mario Paron

A good part of the solution is right here on our doorstep – foreign-trained professionals.
Let’s look at some numbers.
Sixty-six percent of Canadian employers have difficulty filling positions due to a lack of suitable talent, according to a 2006 Manpower Inc. study. This problem will only be exacerbated in coming years as baby boomers retire, birth rates continue to fall and not enough skilled people graduate to fill positions.
By 2011, 100 per cent of net labour force growth will come from immigration, according to Statistics Canada. Yet once these immigrants arrive in this country, their foreign credentials and work experience may not be recognized by the licensing bodies that must assess them before they can practise in Canada.
Skilled immigrants may face great hurdles before they are able to work in their chosen profession. In too many cases, highly trained professionals end up working in occupations below their skill level.
This is of particular concern in Ontario. Each year more than 125,000 new immigrants arrive in this province, representing half of all newcomers to Canada.
But despite the fact that more than three-quarters (76 per cent) of these immigrants have foreign credentials (more than a high-school diploma), StatsCan reports that the unemployment rate for these professionals is more than three times as high as other people in the province.
Getting these professionals through the workplace door requires the will of all of us in corporate Canada to better support their entry. It takes time and perseverance, but speaking from our experience at KPMG, it is well worth it.
A few years ago, we supported an Indian-trained accountant in his pursuit of a CA designation in Canada. Despite working more than six years as an accountant for KPMG in Dubai and the Netherlands, he was not permitted to write his qualifying exam in Canada unless he completed the entire accountancy curriculum, including several examinations.
Senior partners accompanied him each time he pled his case to the applications committee and eventually he was granted the opportunity to write only the final examination. He easily passed on his first attempt. Today he is a partner in our firm.
Without his will and the support of the firm, Canada’s accounting profession would have lost the tremendous skill and experience that this partner brings to the table. And, to the great credit of the licensing body, he now sits on its applications committee, where he can contribute his perspective for future candidates.
Obviously one accountant in one firm will not solve the problem – this requires the attention of corporate Canada from coast to coast to coast. But our experience proves that if we put our minds to it, we find ways to access the talent we have available to us.
While companies can’t and shouldn’t override the licensing body requirements, there are ways they can help encourage the hiring of foreign trained professionals including working with licensing boards to better understand foreign reciprocity and supporting individuals who have the required skills in navigating their way through the accreditation process.
Firms can also create mentoring partnerships that pair skilled immigrants with professionals in the same occupation. This helps to open professional networks and share knowledge about the workplace, industry and career development.
In the Greater Toronto Area, companies can join the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council’s Mentoring Partnership program, which helps skilled immigrants in Toronto get established and find appropriate work.
Once firms hire foreign trained professionals, the next challenge is keeping them. Creating a workplace that is inclusive and embraces differences in background and experience is key to successful integration and retention.
One way to do this is to deliver employee workshops to help them more effectively work and communicate with people from various cultural backgrounds.
This helps reduce potential misunderstandings that could exist due to different working styles and helps to promote diversity in the office.
The more we can do along these lines, the better off we’ll be. Lowering the barriers to hire and retain foreign trained professionals will go a long way in meeting our ever-growing demand for skilled workers.
Mario Paron is a partner and chief human resources officer at KPMG LLP.
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/331935