Immigration

Between 1997 and 2001, 978,000 immigrants arrived in Canada and joined the country’s workforce. They represented 70% of the decade’s total labour force growth. By 2010, recent immigrants will account for all of the growth in the Canadian workforce.

Canadian manufacturers already depend on immigration for retaining and attracting employees. Recent immigrants accounted for 166% of the net labour force growth within the manufacturing sector over the past decade.

Slightly over 27% of Canada’s manufacturing workforce are immigrants – almost 10% are recent immigrants (who have arrived in Canada over the past ten years). Some industries like clothing, computer and electronic products, and furniture depend even more heavily on immigrants. (Immigrants represent more than half of the workforce in the clothing industry; nearly 20% are recent immigrants.)

Among recent immigrants employed in manufacturing, 26% hold a university degree and 24% hold a college or trades diploma. By contrast, only 9% of Canadian-born workers in manufacturing hold a university degree, while 35% have other post-secondary qualifications.

Manufacturers will continue to rely on highly skilled and experienced immigrants to meet their labour needs.

Canada’s immigration system must be employed more effectively to enable economic development and improve access for manufacturers to skilled and experienced personnel.

Our Vision

• Canada has a coherent and coordinated strategy to use the country’s immigration system as a tool to promote prosperity, actively recruiting the best and most ambitious people in the world to join us in building a better future.
• An immigration system that allows for the speedy entry of people with the skills and experience required in a modern manufacturing enterprise.
• Qualifications for immigration to Canada place an emphasis on practical experience, skills, and capabilities.
• The federal government is aggressively recruiting immigrants for entry into the manufacturing workforce.
• All provinces have programs in place to recruit immigrants with the skills required by manufacturing.
• Immigration approval processes allow speedy entry for immigrants with manufacturing skills, as well as for personnel visiting Canada on business visas.
• The skills, capabilities, and experience of immigrants are widely acknowledged in Canada, allowing for rapid absorption into the manufacturing workforce in positions commensurate with their capabilities.