2. Diverse Groups & Job
Development
Immigrants
Youth
Aboriginals
People with disability
3. 5 Major Barriers to the Integration of
Skilled Immigrants into the Labour
market
Complex process for the recognition of credentials
Inadequate language abilities
Lack of Canadian work experience
Insufficient cultural awareness
discrimination
4. What Canadian Employers Want
Canadian work or volunteer experience
Positive references from at least 3 Canadian employers or instructors
High level of fluency in English (verbal, written, body language)
Canadian Style Skills
o
Conflict resolution, assertiveness, initiative, leadership, emotional
intelligence, decision-making, social skills, teamwork, problem solving,
critical thinking, time management, computer, math skills
Personal Attributes
o
Responsible, honest, high performance standards, positive attitude,
customer service oriented, flexible
5. Characteristics of the Immigrant In
Canada
The top source countries of the immigrant group (2010-2012) are China,
Philippines and India for 2012
o
The main category of immigrant class is Economic Immigrants (77.80%) and
Family (13%)
o
The economic immigration grew markedly while both the refugees and family
reunifications decreased as a share of total immigration
The age distribution of the immigrant group
o
Asia (including the Middle East) was Canada's largest source of immigrants during the
past five years, although the share of immigration from Africa, Caribbean, Central and
South America increased slightly.
In 2011, 58.6% of people who came to Canada since 2006 were in the core working
age group between 25 and 54. A small proportion, 4.4%, was in the older working age
group of 55 to 64.
The geographical distribution of the immigration group in 2012
o
Most immigrants still choosing the top four provinces: Ontario, Quebec, British
Columbia and Alberta
6. Characteristics of the Immigrant In
Canada
The highest employment rate among immigrants born in Philippines
o
The employment rate in 2011 among Filipino-born immigrants
aged 25 to 54 was 85.6%, higher than the rate of 82.9% for the
Canadian-born population and well above the rate of 73.1% for the
Asian-born population as a whole.
Languages of the immigrant group
o
Of the immigrants who had a single mother tongue, close to onequarter (23.8%) reported English as their mother tongue and
3.4% reported French. Among those whose mother tongue was other
than Canada's two official languages, Chinese languages were most
common, followed by Tagalog, a language of the Philippines, Spanish
and Punjabi.
Source: Ethnicity Diversity and Immigration (statcan)
7. CDP needs to be Aware
While providing employment services to the immigrant group
Don’t make
assumptions
Respect
differences
Aware of high
context culture
Culturally
sensitive
Recognize
complexity
Immigrant lack
social skills
Open-minded
Set expectations
right
Family
involvement
Avoid
stereotyping
Offer choices
Inadequate
English Skills
Complex
credential
recognition
process
Lack of
Canadian work
experience
Different in
perception of
authority
Different in time
orientation
8. CDP needs to be Aware
While providing employment services to the immigrant group
Be aware of our own frame of reference, our ideas and assumptions may not hold true to
the new immigrants who are from different backgrounds
Be culturally sensitive and keep your assumptions/biases in check and avoid making
judgement
Be open minded and listen actively to truly understand their situations and needs
Avoid stereotyping - be aware of not making assumptions about different ethnic groups of
immigrants
Respect differences - including status, age, gender etc. to avoid any misunderstandings
Recognize complexity in view of the diverse groups of immigrants
9. CDP needs to be Aware
While providing employment services to the immigrant group
High context culture – be aware of the high context culture in which many things are left
unsaid, letting the culture explain.
Lack of social skills – some immigrants might not have the necessary social skills that
allow them to communicate, relate and socialize with others
Offer choices - be aware not to tell them what they should do, but instead offer choices
that can address their needs
Family involvement - at times, family’s input plays a significant role so be open and
available for answering questions when necessary
Set the expectations right at the beginning that you are helping them to find a job but
not getting them a job. Finding a job has to come from their own efforts.
Be aware not to use slang, jargon, and colloquial expressions or acronyms because the
clients may not understand, such as EI, MP, OPEC etc.
10. CDP needs to be Aware
While providing employment services to the immigrant group
Inadequate English language skills
Complex process for the recognition of credentials
Little Canadian work experience
Some immigrants might have insufficient cultural awareness and lack of knowledge
about Canadian Law, Bylaws etc.
Perception of authority – some immigrants may from the countries of different
perspective of authority and is more vertical in hierarchy. This may affect their open
communication with us.
Time orientation – some immigrants may have different time orientation and do not
have sense of punctuality
11. Individual Barriers of the Aboriginal
Non-status aboriginals - when they can’t prove their status or has lost their status
Low self-esteem - poverty, broken families, racism, stereotypes, discrimination,
few role models all contribute to their low self-esteem
Poor mental and physical well-being: 50% of First Nations children, living onreserve, start each day in an overcrowded, inadequate home that likely is in
need of repairs, has asbestos, mould, and may not have drinking water.
Unhealthy living conditions affect a person’s mental and physical well-being
Substance use - drugs addiction and alcoholics
Iliteracy and poor education – the graduation rate of Aboriginal youth in Canada
is 24% of 15-24 year olds, compare to 84% in the non-native population
12. Individual Barriers of the Aboriginal
Lack of driver’s license: a real stumbling block in remote communities; just
getting to the nearest office to write the initial test can be challenging;
taking driver’s training is similarly a challenge as there may not be easily
accessed training providers or, for that matter, a vehicle on which to learn;
Lack of Transportation: few remote communities are serviced by public
transit; vehicle insurance is expensive and out of reach for many in preemployment situations; again, owning a vehicle or having access to a
vehicle is frequently not a reality
Lack of child care: safe, affordable child care is a challenge for mainstream
Canadians – it is even more of a challenge for parents in Aboriginal
communities.
13. The Systemic Barriers of the Youth
Single parent family structure– approximately 16% of Canadian families were headed
by a single parent
Substance use – alcohol and drug use
Poor academic performance and high school drop-outs – in 2009-2010, 10% of young
men and 7% of young women were dropouts
Poverty and lack of family support – 13% of the youth 17 years of age and under
were part of a low-income family
High unemployment rate – 15% of youth aged 15-24, the highest among all age
groups are unemployed
14. The Systemic Barriers of the Youth
Mental health issue – an estimated 10-20% of Canadian youth are affected
by a mental illness or disorder
Victimization – the rates of violent victimization were highest among youth
15-17 (there were 1111 victims of violent crime reported per 100000 children
and youth in Canada in 2008)
Families-at-risk – as of March 2004, there were 72000 children in care
(transfer in custody) in Canada
Youth crime, violence, sex, gang membership
15. Job Development 101 (for disabilities)
The Basics
Effective Job
Developers
o
o
Focus equally on
clients and
employers
Aim to form
partnerships with
business and clients
alike
How?
o
Know your client’s skills, abilities, desires, stamina
o
They should be job ready before marketing them
o
Seek suitable job matches or “carve” your own
o
Plan your approach – be employer and client specific
o
Use a soft-sell style – partnership before placements
o
Avoid the sympathy ploy – clients are valuable resources
with unique skills
View employers as customers, and clients as your product
Try to look through an employer’s eyes`
