A group of 50 community leaders is working hard to try and reduce the time it takes for new immigrants to integrate socially and economically across the South Okanagan.

Nora Hunt-Haft, co-ordinator of the Local Immigrant Partnership (LIP) program with the South Okanagan Immigrant and Community Services, made a presentation to Town of Osoyoos council last week detailing the efforts being made to help recent immigrants to improve language and job skills across the region.

Her organization recently released a report called ‘Let’s Talk Jobs’, a project completed by those involved in the LIP program, said Hunt-Haft.

“LIP has been actively working to reduce the time it takes for new immigrants to integrate socially and economically into the SOS region,” she said.

“Research shows it can take up to 15 years before a new immigrant is fully integrated into a Canadian community. Integration takes into consideration the time it takes to achieve meaningful employment, become comfortable speaking and writing English, build a social network and contribute to the social and economic vitality of the community.

“Full integration provides employers with valuable resources that can help build strong and resilient workplaces and communities.”

This is particularly important in the South Okanagan region where 35 per cent of business owners are expected to retire in the next five years and there is a shortage of skilled workers, said Hunt-Haft.

“Research has shown net migration must double to meet labour market demands,” she said.

The SOS LIP council is a collaboration of 50 community leaders from across the region. It was formed in April of 2014, with members from all levels of government, immigrant services agencies, public institutions, businesses, local associations and key community stakeholders.

Through work sessions and planning, the LIP council has developed a shared goal and strategic plan and formed three working groups focused on creating and implementing action plans to address three conditions for change. They include:

1. Attracting and sustaining newcomers that meet the workforce and business opportunities in the region.

2. Ensuring programs and networks are in place to support newcomers.

3. Increasing awareness of what newcomers contribute to the region and what the region can contribute to newcomers.

By conducting surveys and interviews with new immigrants and employers and a review of labour market research that has been completed for the region, the report supports conditions 1 and 3 by helping to build greater understanding of labour market conditions across our region, said Hunt-Haft.

The purpose of the report is to create a high-level snapshot of employment opportunities in our region and compare those to the skills and qualifications of recent immigrants in our area.

“This data will be used as a baseline for the SOS LIP council to attract and sustain newcomers that meet the workforce and business opportunities in the region with the contest of the overall objective of integrating new immigrants into the SOS workforce more quickly,” she said.

Through a review of existing labour market studies, online surveys and in-person interviews, the research team gathered qualitative and quantitative data about employment opportunities and newcomers’ skills and qualifications.

“We emphasized localized information pertinent to the goals and objectives of the LIP council,” said Hunt-Haft.

The research, which was conducted between September and December of last year, was not meant to be a comprehensive labour market review, but designed to provide easy to use snapshots of the current situation that LIP council members and the community can use to build a better understanding of the labour market conditions related specifically to new immigrants and employers in our region, she said.

Surveys found 38 per cent of new immigrants have been in the South Okanagan and Similkameen region for less than two years, 44 per cent between two and five years and 19 per cent between five and 10 years.

It was also revealed 81 per cent of new immigrants can speak, read and write English and 19 per cent can have a conversation in English.

Close to 65 per cent were between the ages of 26 to 35.

Through surveys and interviews it has been determined the local labour force is not growing fast enough to meet employers’ needs for workers and many employers are having difficulty filling positions in the SOS region due to a shortage of skilled workers.

More than 35 per cent of small business owners plan to retire in the next five years and net migration must double or triple to meet labour market demands, meaning migrants from outside B.C. will be increasingly important as a new source of labour, said Hunt-Haft.

The good news is new immigrants are an important source of skilled and experienced workers and they bring experience in wholesale and retail trades, healthcare and social assistance, public administration, education and other key sectors.

“Most new immigrants are well educated and many have graduate and post-graduate degrees,” she said.

The key barriers inhibiting the integration of new immigrants into the regional workforce include language skills, transportation challenges and difficulty transferring education credentials and work experience into the Canadian workplace.

New immigrants and employers want to be part of the solution as they believe the market in our region welcomes diversity and employers have a long record of success in hiring new immigrants, she said.

More than 60 per cent of new hires in the next six years will require a university, college or specialty degree.

In conclusion, Hunt-Haft said, “While key barriers inhibit the integration of new immigrants into the region’s workforce, new immigrants and employers exhibit a willingness to work together to be part of the solution as we move forward.”

Mayor Sue McKortoff thanked Hunt-Haft for her presentation and for all of the hard work her organization has done in completing this report and working with new immigrants to help them integrate into the region as quickly as possible.

The SOS LIP council is more than willing to hear from new immigrants and employers and Hunt-Haft can be reached at 1-250-492-6299 or by email at [email protected].

KEITH LACEY

Osoyoos Times