Why Hire Immigrants?
The short answer is that hiring immigrants and other diverse talent in our city is simply good business. Immigrants are a growing and highly skilled and diverse segment of Ottawa’s population. Businesses that mirror the city’s diversity are better positioned to succeed.
Employers in Ottawa who have hired immigrants overwhelmingly say it has brought value to their organization and positively impacted the bottom line.
Hiring immigrants and diverse talent to organizations has several benefits:
Immigrants are a key and ‘untapped’ part Ottawa’s talent pool
- All net labour force growth in Ottawa now comes from immigration
- Immigration is a key contributor to Ottawa’s labour force growth
- Broader talent pool for recruiting new employees
- Immigrants bring global experience, cultural and linguistic intelligence, and access to diverse global and local networks
- Ottawa attracts highly educated immigrants in all fields of academic specialization
Diverse talent enhances workplace performance
- Diverse and inclusive businesses outperform homogenous ones
- Diverse perspectives contribute to increased innovation and creativity
- Companies with a diverse staff composition have better risk management and ability to withstand and grow through disruption and change
- Well-managed diverse teams are more productive and generate more revenue
Access new networks and markets
- Expand local markets, and develop new global markets, by leveraging immigrants’ international experience, cultural awareness and networks
- Expand customer base by developing in-house insights into the product and service needs of ethno-specific markets
- Improved customer service by better connecting and serving diverse customers and clients
Become an “employer of choice”
- Companies that are diverse and inclusive are attractive to customers, talent and other businesses
- Better able to respond to the skills/talent shortage by being an employer of choice
- Return on investment by engaging and retaining top talent for longer
- Alignment with values and corporate social responsibility
- Stronger brand and reputation
Broader social and economic benefits
- Diverse and inclusive workplaces will position Ottawa as an attractive destination for talent and further contribute to growth
- When immigrants are employed at levels that utilize their qualifications, they have greater disposable income to spend on goods and services
- Local businesses and the economy at large benefit from the economic well-being of residents
- Communities are safer, stronger and healthier when more people are actively engaged in work and fully integrated into society
- Shared prosperity is good for business growth
… And It’s Good For Ottawa.
We all benefit when skilled immigrants in our community are fully employed in skills-appropriate positions.
