The Human Resource (HR) Solutions is a Labour Market Partnership Project (LMP) funded through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Development Agreementthe and undertaken by the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society (VIRCS). The objective of this project is to assist VIRCS and its partners in their efforts to research and develop an effective human resource approach for local businesses. Eventually, it will seek to help employers build up necessary skills for a productive multicultural workforce.
As Canada has relied on immigration for its declining population, immigration has increasingly become a vital labour source for the country’s growing economy. The labour force of the Capital Regional District (CRD) will be transformed into a multicultural one, as more immigrants arrive, work, and settle in the region. This will create significant socio-economic pressure and changes in the region as well as in its work culture. Not only will it impact on employers’ practices in hiring and retaining immigrant workers, but also it will predictably create social and cultural tensions among workers in the workplace. Local employers generally lack the experience and skills to deal with multicultural workers and they are ill-prepared to manage these inevitable issues.
The HR Solutions Project will raise awareness of local employers about the on-going demographic changes in the CRD. In addition, it will research possible solutions in order to provide local employers with necessary tools and best practices for effectively employing and retaining multi-cultural workers.
The third phase of the project, from January 5th to October 6th, 2009, is aligned with the overall objectives of HR Solutions which is to help local employers enhance their capacity in recruiting and retaining immigrant workers. To bridge gaps in labour market as identified throughout Phase I and Phase II and facilitate a better understanding between local employers and immigrant workers, different activities are incorporated in Phase III, such as multicultural workshops, employer/employee LMI& network forum, employer/employee multicultural awareness event, electronic HR newsletters, and employer’s resource guide.
The local employers, HR practitioners and business owners are invited to participate in the April and May multicultural workshops. The workshops will explore different cultural expectations and provide employers with tools on creating a productive workplace culture. For detailed information and registration, please click here.
We are very grateful for the support of the community and thank employers, mainstream workers and multicultural workers taking time to participate in different activities as the participation will contribute significantly to the success of this phase.
Funded in whole or part through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Development Agreement
