The Role of Employers in Bridging Newcomers’ Absorption and Integration in the Canadian Labour Market – A Knowledge Synthesis Project


The goal of this project is to describe the state of knowledge about the supply and demand of skills for the future labour market by conducting a knowledge synthesis on the role of employers and employer organizations in bridging newcomers’ absorption and integration in Canada.  Employers and employer associations have been accorded a growing role in newcomer recruitment by both federal and provincial governments. This knowledge synthesis project, funded by SSHRC, aims to summarize research findings and policy implications in order to better understand and identify specific labour market needs, challenges, and good practices from the perspectives of employers. A systematic scoping review of the literature captures a range of sources (peer-reviewed and grey literature) and methodologies (qualitative and quantitative). The results of the synthesis found a lack of evidence of employer engagement in the provision of settlement services, notwithstanding the substantial employer stake in hiring and optimizing immigrant workers.