Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Recruitment strategies

While the new plan to increase immigration is a plus, the Star points out the dangers of merely increasing the numbers without also providing resources to support the new arrivals:
Later this month, Ottawa is expected to take the wraps off its immigration vision. At its centre will be a strategy to allow up to 320,000 immigrants into the country each year, up 100,000 over current levels.

But experts say the government's immigration strategy is bound to fail unless Ottawa is also prepared to give more money and flexibility to agencies that help new immigrants find their feet in this country...

Omidvar drives home the point, saying that only four out of 10 immigrants have found work that matches their skill levels. The rest are "severely underemployed," and "not sending good news back home" about their experiences in Canada.

That matters at a time when Canada is competing with other nations to woo the best and brightest immigrants from places such as India, Brazil and China, says Omidvar.

Unfortunately, there's no indication that there's been any solution to either the well-known accreditation problems, or even to simpler issues such as connecting new immigrants to professional groups who can help them find work consistent with their training. And it sounds like word is getting out among those who might otherwise choose to come to Canada.

This sounds like one more example of the Libs offering a good idea with no resources to back it up. And as usual the long-term costs, both in underused skills within Canada and in people who choose to go elsewhere, will far outweigh whatever money is saved by not properly funding support systems now.

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