How Every Job Vacancy Becomes an Opportunity for Refugee Youth and Canadian Businesses | HIRES Pilot Learnings Report

Canada’s commitment to expanding durable solutions for refugees through new complementary pathways has been demonstrated through initiatives like the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP), offering skilled refugees a chance to immigrate to Canada while also enabling Canadian employers to access a new pool of qualified candidates to fill job openings. At the Global Refugee Forum, WUSC pledged to support the expansion of labour pathways to Canada, by contributing to employer mobilization and securing additional employment opportunities for refugee youth. Drawing from our experience with HIRES, our pilot project (2019-2023) and lessons learned, we are keen to continue to expand this work as we transition towards utilizing the EMPP immigration channel in the next phase of our HIRES program.

Background 

The HIRES pilot, funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, was designed as a responsive approach to address two key concerns: 

1) Providing long-term solutions  for people living in protracted refugee situations; and

2) Accelerating the labour market integration of resettled refugees thereby improving settlement outcomes upon arrival to Canada. 

HIRES in number

Since its start in 2019, HIRES has: 

• Facilitated the employment and resettlement of 60 refugees in Canada and; 
• Fulfilled labour needs for 24 Canadian workplaces. 

Through the HIRES pilot: 

• Participating refugee youth were provided with sector-specific skills training and entry-level employment opportunities in the hospitality and tourism industry in British Columbia and arrived under Canada’s Private Sponsorship of Refugees pathway.

• Workplace Sponsorship Groups (WSG) at participating workplaces volunteered to provide support to their new coworkers as they settled into their new jobs and new lives in Canada and helped create more welcoming workplaces. 

Building on WUSC’s long-standing experience in refugee resettlement, the HIRES model aims to further expand access to complementary pathways for refugee youth while also enhancing their economic integration into the Canadian labour market.  

As part of our commitment to championing labour mobility pathways, we are pleased to share the findings from the evaluation report of the HIRES pilot, supported by the Mariam Assefa Fund. The report underscores the significant demand for economic mobility programs, both among targeted refugees overseas and Canadian employers in the hospitality and tourism industry in British Columbia. 

Key Findings from the Report 

1. Expanding Opportunities for Young Refugees

• HIRES has served a unique demographic and provided an additional pathway enabling young refugees to pursue their aspirations, including employment, in safety.  
• The program beneficiaries avoided many of the stressors and barriers often faced by newcomers when seeking their first Canadian work experience. 
• The short-term post-arrival training component of the program played an important role in helping participants hone their soft skills and transition into their new workplaces in Canada. 

2. Enhancing benefits for Canadian workplaces:

• Employers appreciated the positive influence on workplace culture that refugee youth who arrived through HIRES often generated.
• The program provided a learning experience for staff in workplaces welcoming new employees from diverse backgrounds. 
• While temporary residents fill many Canadian labour gaps, WUSC sees a larger role in permanent refugee immigration pathways. Economic mobility programs for refugees such as HIRES grant permanent residency upon arrival which employers appreciate for continued employment and employee mobility, often limited for temporary residents.

Balancing Challenges and Opportunities 

The HIRES pilot shed light on both the advantages and challenges of placing refugee youth in jobs within small and remote communities that often experience greater labour demands compared to urban centres in Canada. 

The findings emphasize the importance of cohort groups of newcomers, particularly in communities that tend to be more culturally homogenous, lack diaspora communities, and/or have insufficient newcomer settlement service infrastructure. It is essential to prioritize social connections and accessible community support services in communities welcoming new residents from a forced migration background.

It is clear that former refugee youth who arrived in Canada through HIRES have contributed significantly to their workplaces by stepping in to fill needed positions with their self-motivation and positive attitudes. The HIRES program is a win-win situation:

• Refugees gain new opportunities to build a new and secure life and 
• Canadian employers gain motivated and dedicated talent. 

Voices from HIRES

“We could be walking on the street and meet people who knew us, but we didn’t know them. For us, it was a new place, but the people were all committed to helping us out to enjoy this small city.” – HIRES participant

“I think it’s just such a great match between keen young people who would love to have a future in Canada and the desperate labour need in our industry and the ability to match those up.” – HIRES Employer partner.

Canada has much to gain from expanding economic mobility opportunities and welcoming refugees.

Key takeaways from the Report are available here. 

The full report, funded by the Mariam Assefa Fund, is available here. 

About WUSC

WUSC is a global leader in expanding complementary pathways for refugees through post-secondary education, and more recently economic opportunities. Its flagship Student Refugee Program (SRP) began in 1978, and brings 40+ years of experience, supporting a network of 95+ post-secondary education institutional partners across Canada to deliver this one-of-a-kind program. The HIRES initiative looks to further expand access to economic opportunities for refugee youth and facilitate their stronger economic integration into the Canadian labour market.