An RBC report from last week says that Saskatchewan is failing to put skilled immigrants to work in their field of expertise.
The process of getting a licence or out-of-province credentials recognized is long and complicated and discourages a lot of workers to choose Saskatchewan.
Although Canada is leading the G7 countries for immigration, provinces like Saskatchewan are still struggling to make sure newcomers find work that corresponds to their skillsets.
According to the RBC report, 29.8 per cent of immigrants who have degrees in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or optometry are working in jobs that do not fully utilize their skills or degrees.
The biggest problem for these newcomers is getting their foreign degrees and credentials verified. The process takes a long time and can be incredibly complicated — not just for immigrants, but for all out-of-province workers.
Jason Aebig of the Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce agrees with that observation.
“The current process and framework is clumsy and cumbersome. It is not doing what we want it to do, which is get skilled and credentialed people into jobs for which they are qualified for and enable business and industry to leverage the skill and talents of those people as quickly as possible.”
Aebig regrets the lost opportunities the system causes, both for the newcomers and the province.
“Our economy and market are in desperate need of skilled and credentialed people. There is huge economic stimulus that comes along with somebody who is highly productive and capable working a fulfilling job. We all stand to win.”
The provincial government of Saskatchewan recognizes the issues with credentialing and licensing workers and is taking steps to remedy the situation.
Last week it launched a guide for immigrants that helps with the process of getting licensed. The province is also introducing new legislation.
The Saskatchewan Immigration Accord will give the province more flexibility and capacity to allow skilled newcomers to come to the province, while the new Labour Mobility and Fair Registration Act will force regulatory bodies to significantly speed up the process of assessing and qualifying workers in Saskatchewan.
Aebig calls the legislation a “strategic advantage” for the province to be able to attract workers from in and outside Canada.
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