According to an RBC Report released last week, we are failing to put immigrant skills to work.
 
We lead the G7 in attracting newcomers, with immigration driving 90% of our population growth. Over one-third have advanced degrees with many holding majors in STEM-related fields like science, technology, engineering and math. However, they are more likely to work in jobs requiring far less education and training.
 
The dentist driving a taxi. The engineer working as a janitor. We see these examples playing out across our city.
 
Better utilization of immigrant skills will be key to our economic prosperity. Proper integration of their skills will help address worker shortages, help our SME community grow faster, and ultimately generate economic activity in every sector.
 
The Chamber strongly supports the Province of Saskatchewan’s efforts to move aggressively on this challenge:
 

• The Saskatchewan Immigration Accord will give our province more flexibility and additional capacity to nominate newcomers moving to our province, allowing SMEs to recruit international professionals within their ranks.
  
  
• The new Labour Mobility and Fair Registration Act will require regulatory bodies a maximum of 50 days to assess and qualify them to work in Saskatchewan. Workers certified in other provinces or territories will be entitled to receive recognition of their certification within 20 days – the fastest processing times in Canada.
  
  
• The new International Credential Recognition Grant (ICRG) will assist newcomers with foreign qualification recognition costs required to obtain licensure.

 
The keys to unlocking Saskatoon’s economic potential include our growing Indigenous workforce and qualified newcomers ready to fill skilled and professional jobs.