STEM Careers in Canada: What Are Your Job Prospects?

by Zara Khan

Canada’s job market offers many opportunities to skilled immigrants who have a background in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM).

The Canadian government is providing exceptional support to STEM-related research, training, and development, and has introduced multiple plans over the past few years to promote STEM innovation.

One example is its Innovation and Skills Plan. The plan seeks not only to recruit and retain talent, but to create more well-paying jobs for STEM professionals across Canada. It also aims to support new ideas that will drive the nation’s economy in the years to come.

As Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Navdeep Bains recently stated, “Our Innovation and Skills Plan builds on Canada’s competitive advantages—a highly educated workforce, unrivalled access to global markets, and a government that partners with business—to create good middle-class jobs for Canadians and [to] position Canada as a global economic leader.”

Additionally, venture capitalists and private businesses are currently investing in these areas to remain competitive in an increasingly global market. The growing popularity of mobile technologies, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing will continue to drive interest in these fields throughout the next decade.

Now is a great time for STEM professionals to develop their careers and improve their skills in Canada.

Are STEM Jobs Available to Immigrants?

Immigrants represent more than half of the population holding at least a bachelor’s degree in STEM, according to a Statistics Canada 2016 research paper published in late 2019. The study also revealed that immigrants account for roughly three-quarters of individuals who hold an advanced degree in engineering and computer science.

Below are a few additional highlights from the report that can help you determine if you should pursue a STEM career in Canada.

Many STEM Professionals Are Immigrants

Many STEM-educated immigrants have chosen to pursue their careers in their new country. In 2016, 54 percent of STEM graduates had immigrated.

Here’s how those numbers break down:

• Among all engineering and computer science graduates in the country (ages 25 to 64), 61 percent were immigrants.
• Among all science and technology graduates (ages 25 to 64), 41 percent were immigrants.
• About 49 percent of STEM professionals with a bachelor’s degree were immigrants.
• Among STEM professionals with a master’s or doctoral degree, 64 percent were immigrants.

As these numbers reveal, immigrants represent a large portion of the labour supply for STEM-related jobs. As industries continue to expand their portfolios and innovate, there will be a greater demand for people who can fill such jobs. The country must ensure that its workforce can meet the demand by continuing to encourage skilled immigrants to pursue their STEM careers.

Your STEM Education Will Be Put to Work

If you graduated with a degree in science, technology, engineering, or math, there’s a good chance that you will be able to find work here. STEM jobs were divided almost equally between immigrants (46 percent) and native-born Canadians (48 percent) who held a relevant degree.

Nevertheless, there were a few discrepancies. For example, those with a bachelor’s degree in engineering were much more likely to find work if they were born in Canada (66 percent) than if they were migrants (42 percent).

Additionally, the share of STEM workers in a job requiring a university degree was much higher among native Canadians (64 percent) than among immigrants (49 percent).

This study also found that immigrants holding a bachelor’s in engineering felt significantly underutilized in their place of work, compared with their Canadian-born counterparts. (There is a notable exception for immigrants who studied in Western countries; they tended to feel better utilized at work.)

If a job requires candidates to hold a post-secondary degree, immigrants often wind up feeling underutilized once they have accepted the role; that is true for all fields relating to STEM. This issue is greatest for those with a bachelor’s degree and is least significant at the doctoral level.

STEM Jobs Show a Smaller Income Gap for Immigrants

For immigrants, salary is an important indicator of economic integration. In addition to reflecting a level of professional success, a salary can also symbolize how well a person is integrating into the new culture, lifestyle, and workforce.

The Statistics Canada report also offered insights into how well immigrants working in STEM are faring economically.

Listed below are some key findings:

• The largest income gap between immigrants and Canadian-born respondents was reported by those holding a bachelor’s degree in STEM. The smallest gap was reported among doctoral graduates.
• STEM-educated immigrants working in a relevant job earned 13.8 percent less than their Canadian-born colleagues.
• However, immigrants holding a STEM degree reported even more significant earning gaps if they pursued a career outside of STEM. Those individuals accounted for just over half (54 percent) of all immigrants with a STEM degree.

These numbers show less salary potential for those who immigrated before entering the Canadian job market. Nevertheless, STEM professionals from all backgrounds are in high demand throughout the country, and this demand will likely continue.

Which Skills Do Employers Seek from STEM Professionals?

In an increasingly global market, businesses understand the value of innovation. That’s especially true in a country like Canada, where the government has demonstrated a commitment to STEM.

Canadian employers seek the following strengths from STEM professionals:

• Problem-solving skills
• Technical acumen
• Data analysis
• Ability to swiftly obtain and process information

If you have a STEM education and are seeking a promising career in a new country, consider Canada. You are likely to find a wide range of opportunities.

The next step is learning how to leverage your education and skills to navigate the labour market.

Source: WES.org

Job Opening in Canada: Food Counter Attendant

Job Opening in Canada: Food Service Supervisor

Job Opening :Food Service Supervisor

Employer prefers candidates from Mexico, but qualified candidates from other countries can apply as well. 

Café in Dryden is looking for 2 permanent full-time Food Service Supervisors to start immediately.

The starting wage is $16.00 /hr with Dental, medical and disability insurance after 3 months probationary period.

Your wage will be reviewed regularly, and potential increases will be based on performance and absenteeism.

Start Date of Employment: As soon as possible

Hours of work: 32-40 per week

Job Type: Full-time, permanent position

Experience: 1-2 years

Requirements:

• Completion of a secondary school
• Ability to communicate, read and write in English effectively.
• Ability to deal well with a variety of people: customers, fellow employees, and management
• Initiative, good judgment, and ability to make quick decisions under sometimes stressful conditions
• Responsible, reliable, honest
• Ability to supervise 5-10 employees
• High standard of cleanliness and hygiene
• Ability to manage multiple tasks, available for overtime if required.
• Able to stand and walk for extended periods.
• Able to do some heavy lifting
   

Duties and responsibilities:

• Supervise and co-ordinate activities of staff who prepare and portion food
• Estimate and order ingredients and supplies
• Ensure food service and quality control
• Maintain records of stock, repairs, sales, and wastage
• Prepare and submit reports
• Prepare food order summaries for chef
• Must have knowledge of the establishment's culinary genres
• Supervise and check assembly of trays
• Establish work schedules.

- Please send us your resume in English to nexuscanadavisa@gmail.com.

Limited positions.

Job Opening: Food Counter Attendant.

Employer prefers candidates from Mexico, but qualified candidates from other countries can apply as well.

Café in Dryden is looking for two (2) permanent full-time Food Counter Attendants to start immediately.

The starting wage is $14.00 – 14.25 /hr with Dental, medical and disability insurance after 3 months probationary period.

Your wage will be reviewed regularly, and potential increases will be based on performance and absenteeism.

Job Location: Dryden, ON

Start Date of Employment: As soon as possible

Hours of work: 32-40 per week

Job Type: Full-time, permanent position

Experience: Experience is an asset, on-the-job training will be provided

Requirements:

• Completion of a secondary school
• Ability to communicate in English
• Ability to deal well with a variety of people: customers, fellow employees, and management
• The initiative, good judgment, and ability to make quick decisions under sometimes stressful conditions
• Responsible, reliable, honest
• High standard of cleanliness and hygiene
• Ability to manage multiple tasks, available for overtime if required.
• Able to stand and walk for extended periods.
• Able to do some heavy lifting
   

Duties and responsibilities:

• Take customers’ orders
• Clean, peel, slice and trim foodstuffs using manual and electric appliances
• Use deep fryer, grill, oven, dispensers and other equipment to prepare fast food items such as sandwiches, hamburgers, fries, salads, ice cream dishes, milkshakes, and other beverages
• Portion, assemble, and wrap food or place it directly on plates for service to patrons, and package take-out food
• Use equipment to prepare hot beverages such as coffee and tea specialties
• Stock refrigerators and salad bars and keep records of the quantities of food used
• May receive payment for food items purchased
• Wash work tables, cupboards, appliances, dishes, glassware, pots, and pans
• Perform other duties as required

- Please send us your resume in English to nexuscanadavisa@gmail.com.

Limited positions.

Career Counselling and Microloans in Canada

by Gavin Au-Yeung

Why do so many skilled immigrants have a hard time finding jobs in Canada?

Some newcomers struggle to understand and navigate the labour market. Other people might be doing everything right, but employers simply won’t recognize their international experience. Then, there is a group of people who know they need to continue their training in order to thrive; however, they might not be able to afford the costs of these professional development tracks.

Luckily, there are solutions for these challenges. You can overcome each of these roadblocks with one of the following solutions:

• Career counselling
• Credential evaluations
• Professional microloans

Continue reading to learn more about the common barriers for internationally trained workers. Plus, find out what sort of help is available.

Career Counselling

When skilled immigrants move to Canada, they often expect to find work right away that is equivalent to the job they held in their home country. Instead, individuals who were working as successful dentists, accountants, or mechanics in their home countries may find themselves working survival jobs in order to put food on the table.

“Many highly trained newcomers to Canada are not living up to their full potential,” says Claudia Valenzuela, a career counsellor who has helped migrants enter the Canadian workforce for more than 17 years and now works for Career Loans.

She describes a high-level banker who was once her client: He had more than 14 years of experience in South America, but he worked on an assembly line to support his family once he moved to Canada.

Why are these highly trained professionals having so much difficulty integrating into the Canadian workforce?

While every situation is unique, Claudia says there are some common reasons that prevent skilled immigrants from reaching their true potential.

For example, newcomers often take a while to grasp workplace culture in Canada. She provides career counselling on topics like:

• Email etiquette
• Small talk
• Body language
• CV formatting
• Interview skills

Cultural differences can be deal-breakers that prolong or even ruin a newcomer’s job search.

Employers are generally looking for individuals who will be a great addition to their teams—not just in terms of their talent, but also in terms of their social skills. Finding a worker who can build great rapport with other colleagues, and other professional contacts, is important. But newcomers might not be aware of subtle traits that are valued in Canada.

“Cultural differences may prevent employers from hiring internationally trained individuals,” says Claudia. “For example: In South America, it is common to interrupt conversations to demonstrate engagement. However, that might come across as rude when participating in a Canadian interview.”

Free E-Guide

Professional Development Strategies

Credential Evaluations

Another problem is that employers do not recognize degrees from international colleges and universities. In some cases, all you need is a credential evaluation

You can start by learning what your degree might be worth in Canada using a Degree Equivalency Tool; then, you can start an application to receive a verified credential evaluation that employers trust and value from World Education Services.

However, experienced professionals might still need to take bridging courses, pass accreditation exams, or earn certifications to get back on their original career track.

These processes take time and money to complete. These are both things that may not be available to recent migrants who are trying to support their families. Securing money to help fund accreditation and examination fees can help individuals expedite their career trajectory. However, newcomers can face obstacles when they apply for traditional bank loans because they lack credit history in Canada.

This is a major reason that many immigrants are forced to work survival jobs—often for years at a time—when they first arrive in Canada.

Much like the high-level banker who found himself working on an assembly line, many newcomers do not have the resources to access the programs that will help them return to their desired career fields.

Professional Microloans

If individuals have pursued career counselling, and if they already have a reliable degree equivalency report, they might be in a position where the only thing holding them back is additional training and development. In this case, microloans might be able to help them return to their desired career.

“It is important for us to assess each client on a case-by-case situation, because we need to determine the barriers preventing them from returning to the workforce,” says Claudia. “By understanding each unique situation, we can develop a personalized strategy to help clients succeed in their careers—whether that be through career counselling, getting a microloan, or both.”

Microloans are small sums of money that qualifying individuals can borrow at a low interest rate in order to help them achieve professional goals. There are several ways to obtain this type of loan in Canada, even if you are a recent immigrant.

In Alberta or Saskatchewan, two of Canada’s provinces, you can reach out to Career Loans. Funded by the Canadian government, Career Loans specifically aims to help newcomers reintegrate into the workforce. One of the greatest benefits is that clients can schedule one-on-one career counselling appointments with professionals like Claudia. Together, they discuss the client’s educational background, employment history, and goals to determine how microloans might help them succeed in Canada.

However, there are several options available across Canada. In Ontario, individuals might be interested in one of many Foreign Credential Recognition programs, such as the one available through The Centre for Education & Training. It also provides career counselling and loans, and is supported by the federal government.

One more organization to explore is Windmill Microlending. A WES Expert Ambassador recently wrote all about the programs that are available through this microloan option for immigrants and refugees for the WES Advisor Blog.

In British Columbia, newcomers might want to consider S.U.C.C.E.S.S. FCR. It offers similar programs to the two listed above.

Just be sure to research microloans carefully and be sure you’re making the right choice before you commit!

Continue Your Path to Professional Success

Integrating into the Canadian workforce is a long process. In order to compete in the labour market, immigrants must take advantage of every resource available to them.

While this might seem difficult at first, there are many success stories to prove that newcomers can return to their field of work. Or, they might choose to finally pursue the role of their dreams. With the right support, it is possible to achieve higher levels of success than ever before.

And how about the banker from South America?

Claudia is happy to report that he is now working as a successful financial advisor for one of the major banks in Canada.

It can happen for you, too.

“Don’t wait for things to happen,” she says. “Take action and make your dreams a reality.”

Source: WES.org

Canada makes it possible for employers to apply for Labour Market Impact Assessment online

By Shelby Thevenot

Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) application through an online portal.

The new pilot project comes after many calls from Canadian business leaders to improve the current LMIA process for employers.

The online pilot will allow Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) employers to register for online access to manage their accounts, conduct transactions and correspond with Service Canada, the government’s website says.

The portal will be accessible using the same login credentials employers use to access the Job Bank for Employers. It will include an electronic questionnaire guiding the user through the completion of the LMIA application and tracking its progress. Users will be able to upload supporting documents, return to their saved LMIA application at any time and view Service Canada decision letters.

For years the Canadian business community has been calling for the government to reduce red tape and processing times around hiring temporary foreign workers. Business development groups like the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), have put forth numerous recommendations for improvements.

One of the first changes the Canadian Chamber of Commerce recommended to the federal government in 2017 was to modernize LMIA applications by “increasing the use of online applications with streamlined forms.”

This past month the CFIB released its own report on the concerns of small to medium-sized businesses with hiring foreign talent through the current TFWP process.

Corinne Pohlmann with CFIB described the process as “lengthy, complicated, and expensive.” She told CIC News that there are still many improvements to be made but the online system is some “good news.”

“I think this will be an improvement to what is in place, and hopefully we’ll get some clarity and answers in a much better way,” Pohlmann said.

Without the online system employers are not able to track the applications, and wait times are on average anywhere from three to twelve months. Many business owners find it difficult to get answers to their questions.

The LMIA is required in most cases where an employer wants to hire foreign workers. It proves the business tried recruiting Canadian workers before looking abroad for talent. It costs over $1,000 to submit the application for each position that needs to be filled, a fee that is not refundable even if the application is denied. Employers are often not informed of the reasons for the rejection and therefore cannot assess whether or not it is worthwhile to re-apply.

For Pohlmann, reducing wait times and improving communication are some of the most important revisions the government needs to implement.

“We’re calling for a full review of the LMIA process to understand: where the bottlenecks lie…reduce the complexity of the application, as well as make sure the government’s service is better in terms of replying and feedback,” Pohlmann said.

Source: CIC news