Building on what works: Leveraging and scaling successful strategies for employment integration

This project aims to investigate and understand the successful strategies for immigrant employment integration that already exist and explore opportunities to scale these initiatives for widespread impact. While there has been significant policy emphasis on fine tuning the immigrant selection process, the implementation and critical evaluation of integration policies has received less attention. Understanding what works is a crucial first step in designing equitable, impactful and cost-effective programs to enable newcomers to reach their full potential.

1. Which existing employment integration programs in Canada have produced the most effective results?
2. How can successful employment integration strategies be adapted and scaled to accommodate diverse immigrant populations?
3. Are there any areas of policy support or investment that could improve immigrant employment integration outcomes?
4. How can collaboration between community sectors help create a cohesive, comprehensive approach to immigrant employment integration?

The research will employ a mixed-methods approach, combining both qualitative and quantitative methods to provide a comprehensive overview of immigrant employment integration initiatives in Canada and to understand how they may be scaled.

This project is an extension of a study currently underway by Rupa Banerjee on pre- and post-arrival settlement service use by skilled newcomers.

Expected completion date: September 2026

EDI; Employment integration; immigrants; equity, diversity, and inclusion; migrant employment