Ep. 421: Why Canada needs immigrants

Guest: Patrick MacKenzie, Immigrant Employment Council of British Columbia

Even with uncertain economic conditions ahead, Canada’s labour market is still hot – unemployment is running at 4.9%, which is, in essence, full employment.

There are more than one million job vacancies across the country. Some sectors, like health care and social services, are seeing vacancies and demand for workers climb higher and higher.

The Immigrant Employment Council of British Columbia develops and promotes solutions for BC employers to attract, hire, and retain immigrant talent that can meet current and future labour force needs. Its employer-focused resources and programs help businesses of all sizes and sectors across BC integrate skilled immigrants into workplaces.

Immigrant Employment Council of BC CEO Patrick MacKenzie recently attended a meeting of high-level international officials in Berlin, where they examined migration issues and policymaking processes across Europe, North America, and Australia

With Canada on track to bring in a record number of immigrants in 2022, MacKenzie says, “It’s worth asking whether non-humanitarian admissions reflect employer and sector needs, whether immigrants will be set up for success if economic conditions worsen, and how we can make BC the number one destination for the talent we need.”

We invited Patrick MacKenzie to join us for a Conversation That Matters about filling staff shortages with high quality talent from around the world.