Newcomers navigating the job market in Ontario must refer to this detailed guide to better understand the available opportunities. To begin with, Ontario’s provincial government recently announced that any employer asking for Canadian work experience in job advertisements is not legal. Moreover, it will be compulsory for employers to showcase their salaries for jobs.
The above two steps indicate a win-win situation for all job seekers, including the Ontario workforce and new immigrants. The Ontario labor force will have the chance to witness the possible salary of a job position compared to other provinces. Meanwhile, newcomers in this province will have more chances to get a job. Earlier immigrants often faced rejection due to a lack of Canadian work experience.
Navigating the Job Market in Ontario – What about In-Demand Skills?
New immigrants who are looking forward to shifting to Permanent Residency in Canada but have not decided their career yet, must adhere to the in-demand skills in Ontario. This way, they will be benefitted during their job search in this province.
In-demand skills in Ontario will dictate the number of employees required to fulfill the labor market demand. Ontario’s Provincial Nominee Program also utilizes these details to understand the candidates who must receive the nominations for permanent residence in Ontario. Almost all Canadian provinces function the same way, as stated above, with their separate PNPs, excluding Nunavut and Quebec.
Perceiving both these factors implies that new immigrants in this province who possess the in-demand skills will have an edge over others while finding employment. This will further enhance their chances of residing in Ontario forever due to their ability to offer meaningful contributions to the labor market.
Bridging Programs and Accreditation
The modified legislation doesn’t require the candidate to possess Canadian work experience. However, it does create a massive difference if a candidate demonstrates accreditation in their field and proper license to perform their job. Therefore, every newcomer in this province must take all relevant initiatives to gain employment in regulated professions. This is due to the significance of accreditation for most occupations in Canada. In addition, it ensures that workers with international training can execute tasks according to the updated standards and regulations.
The chief method to gain accreditation is through recognized firms that execute this procedure. Moreover, candidates must pay attention to the recognized and proper accreditation services in the country. They must have a recorded past through which they can prove that they have offered accreditation services to Canada from your home country.
Bridging Programs
The availability of Bridging Programs is vital for new immigrants if they would like to acquire new relevant skills for their international credentials. The need for these programs is to bridge the gap between an individual’s international credentials or education and the training they must acquire to work in a specific occupation.
Both government and private service providers are available within this province, reflecting a long chain of networks encompassing a wide variety of fields. Notably, these programs are vital for those working in regulated or unregulated occupations that typically need highly skilled workers.
Availability of Settlement Services
Newcomers in this province will have the advantage of acquiring settlement services available in Ontario. More than one newcomer firm is prevalent in the country and tends to receive funds from federal, municipal, and provincial governments. These services include employment aid, such as mock interviews, resume critiques, networking events, and so on.
However, new immigrants must be well aware that their qualification for these settlement services will solely depend on their status in this country. This means whether they are permanent residents, students, or workers. Their ability to access these services will also rely on who will provide them with the funding for the particular service they need. Overall, it will be much better to connect with your choice of settlement firm or service provider to understand your eligibility.
Entering the Job Market in Ontario by establishing a network
Statistics Canada’s latest revelation claims that one of the chief reasons behind a newcomer’s inability to find a job in Ontario is a lack of proper network. This applies to candidates who have been in the country for five years or below. This percentage is about 20.3 percent. However, 18.3 percent confirm the same due to a lack of professional references, and around 22.7 percent claim a lack of Canadian job experience.
Hence, it is quite significant for these newcomers to establish a proper network while in Canada. LinkedIn appears to be an effective tool to execute the above task. Newcomers must develop their network of online connections and become well-versed in Ontario’s job market.
Additional Ways to build a network
Less formal platforms like Twitter and Facebook also offer the opportunity for these newcomers to interact with a specific community. They must show politeness toward others and even approach professional people through video calls, emails, or chats. These are helpful tools, especially for those who are trying to engage with the right people in Ontario from their home country.
In fact, those people who are already present in Ontario can use these social media platforms or tools to connect and arrange coffee meetings with professionals. If planned properly, these meetings can often result in an interesting networking building with people in person.
You might as well present your resume or sample portfolio to showcase your skills and experiences. This way, professionals might contact you in times of available opportunities.
Lastly, there are other less formal and offline ways to catch up with professionals. This could be in the form of professional conferences, job fairs, and events. However, you must understand which events will require you to provide some credentials and those that will be available to the public for free.
Looking for more information on Canadian Immigration? Talk to our Make Home Canada expert guides through their years of knowledge in this field. Email us your queries at [email protected].