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Immigrant employment at forefront of first-ever roundtable discussion

Langley Local Immigration Partnership and chamber of commerce host online session Jan. 20
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As per Langley Local Immigration Partnership the webinar will help Langley employers find new workers and deal with workforce shortage. (Langley Advance Times files)

Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce and the Langley Local Immigration Partnership (LIPS) have stepped forward to help the employers tap into the city’s growing talent pool.

The two organizations are inviting businesses to Langley’s first-ever roundtable discussion on immigrant talent pool later next week.

According to LIPS, the webinar will offer employers a better understanding of the immigrant talent pool and share services available for hiring managers to find new workers.

Patrick Mackenzie, chief executive officer of Immigrant Employment Council of BC, will be the featured speaker at the online event that will take place over a Zoom call.

Project consultant Jody Johnson said that though “a handful of Langley immigrants” will be present to share their experiences, most of the participants will be from Langley’s business community.

She further emphasized that the event is not a career fair but an initiative to boost employment in the city.

“The goal of the session is to help the employers understand what services and supports are available for them to hire immigrants,” she added.

The discussion will take place between three panels – one represented by newcomers, one for Langley employers, and the third panel will consist of immigrant employment service providers.

READ MORE: Langley’s travelling Welcome Library aims to start dialogue about immigration

While immigrants and employers will share their challenges relating to job search and the workforce shortage, the third panel will describe the services available for local businesses to facilitate on boarding of immigrant workers.

According to Johnson, the discussion will help LIPS estimate the current labour and skills shortages and review the pandemic’s impact on employers and immigrant job seekers.

“It will also help us identify possible actions to support immigrant workforce integration,” she said.

Referring to the 30 employers who have already registered for the event, Kaiti Maier, director of operations at the chamber, said she is excited to see a high engagement.

“We are wanting to put a spotlight on LIPS… we really wanted to work with them and do an event that would shine a spotlight on the immigration population growth rate in B.C. We think our partnership is really interesting… especially during the pandemic when both employers and job-seekers need help,” Maier added.

In 2015, LIPS conducted a survey with a sample size of 365 immigrants. The survey found that only 48 per cent of the respondents were employed or self-employed, while only 19 per cent of them were working in their field of interest.

Although no local data is available, LIPS spokesperson Mary Tecson said that national studies have found racialized people were more affected by the pandemic than long-term residents.

Employers and other community members can register for the Jan. 20 roundtable discussion through LIPS website at langleylip.ca. The one-and-a-half hour event will start at 1 p.m.

For more information, people can contact the program coordinator at 778-861-1512.

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Tanmay Ahluwalia

About the Author: Tanmay Ahluwalia

Tanmay Ahluwalia is a journalist with a digital mindset and a proud alumnus of the University of Delhi.
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