#130 - Challenges and Benefits of Hiring Immigrants, with Alice Craft
Borderlines23 Loka 2024

#130 - Challenges and Benefits of Hiring Immigrants, with Alice Craft

Alice Craft is a Research Associate in the Immigration knowledge area at the Conference Board of Canada. She recently published a paper titled Small Business, Big Impact Immigrant Hiring and Integration in Five Canadian Cities.


We discuss the key findings of that study -- namely, that:


  • In fast-growing small and mid-sized Canadian cities, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in multiple sectors identified skill shortages as their most common employment challenge.
  • SMEs are using practical and inclusive strategies to evaluate newcomers’ education and experience, but they rarely intentionally reach out to newcomers or work with immigrant‑serving agencies during recruitment and onboarding.
  • SMEs prioritize English/French language skills, particularly spoken communication, when hiring immigrants. Language skills are particularly important in client-facing roles or those involving safety regulations.
  • Negative experiences and limited understanding of immigration processes discourage SMEs from engaging with the immigration system.
  • Affordable housing and access to public transit and child care compound labour market challenges for both job-seeking immigrants and SMEs looking to hire and retain talent.


We also discuss her recommendations.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jaksot(221)

#203 - New Express Entry Manager Category (2026): Who Actually Qualifies — and Who Doesn’t

#203 - New Express Entry Manager Category (2026): Who Actually Qualifies — and Who Doesn’t

This was originally intended to be a YouTube only episode but several podcast listeners asked that we add it to the audio-only feed as well. A break down the new Express Entry categories announced on ...

5 Maalis 7min

#201 - IRCC’s Security Screening Delays: Causes, Timelines, and Legal Impacts

#201 - IRCC’s Security Screening Delays: Causes, Timelines, and Legal Impacts

As of November 2025, internal IRCC projections reveal a stark reality about Canada’s security screening system. Based on recent processing times by partner agencies and current inventory levels, perma...

3 Maalis 15min

#202 - The Emergencies Act and the Freedom Convoy

#202 - The Emergencies Act and the Freedom Convoy

Josh Dehaas, Interim Litigation Director at the Canadian Constitution Foundation (CCF), joins to walk through the Federal Court of Appeal’s Emergencies Act decision, often referred to as the “Freedom ...

24 Helmi 45min

#200 - Building a Corporate Immigration Law Practice

#200 - Building a Corporate Immigration Law Practice

Jonathan Leebosh is a recently retired partner and longtime leader of EY Law’s immigration practice in Vancouver.In this episode Jonathan reflects on a career that took him from refugee camps in Hong ...

17 Helmi 57min

#199 - Is Canada’s Population Decline Good for the Economy?

#199 - Is Canada’s Population Decline Good for the Economy?

Canada is deliberately slowing, and possibly reversing, its population growth. But what does that actually mean for the economy?We are joined by economist Mikuel Scutterat for a wide-ranging and candi...

9 Helmi 53min

#198 - How Decisions Get Written, with Justice Peter Edelmann

#198 - How Decisions Get Written, with Justice Peter Edelmann

In this audio-only reunion episode, former Borderlines Podcast host Peter Edelman joins to discuss life on the British Columbia Court of Appeal. Topics discussed include how decisions get made and w...

3 Helmi 1h 8min

#197 - New World Order

#197 - New World Order

We discuss possible immigration implications of Mark Carney’s recent speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Topics discussed include trade agreements, mobility rights, national security screenin...

26 Tammi 29min

#196 - Canada’s Healthcare Crisis & Immigration, with Dr. Brian Day

#196 - Canada’s Healthcare Crisis & Immigration, with Dr. Brian Day

Canada is increasingly turning to immigration to address a growing healthcare shortage, but is the system actually built to absorb more doctors? Steven Meurrens and Deanna Okun-Nachoff are joined by D...

19 Tammi 52min

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