Opportunities for Employers in Immigrant Labour Market integration: a Case Study of the Canadian Financial Sector

The focus of this study is on the financial sector, and it asks two questions: a) what are financial institutions currently doing in terms of assisting in the labour market integration of newcomers? and b) where are the opportunities for improvement within the financial sector with respect to the employment of immigrants? The study examines current achievements regarding the sector’s successful labour market integration of immigrants, opportunities for improvement, and recommendations as to how the financial sector can become a leader in this domain as well as the benefits of doing so. Some key findings are that there is a gap in terms of the successful integration and inclusion of immigrants in the labour market despite recognition of the business case for diversity. Ingrained biases and beliefs persist, and the communication patterns and ‘rigid’ history of the financial sector are not maturing at the same pace as the global economy.