Fifty people from 21 countries take the the oath of citizenship during a Canada Day citizenship ceremony in the Queen Elizabeth II Building, at the Alberta Legislature in Edmonton Wednesday July 1, 2026. Photo by David Bloom Photo by David Bloom /Postmedia

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For the past two years, the national immigration conversation has been loud and polarized. Yet one perspective remains underrepresented: the employers who are trying to hire, train, and retain workers in today’s labour market.

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Working with partners across the Immigrant Employment Councils of Canada, we convened 77 employer forums across the country to find out how economic immigration is working. The message from more than 1,100 leaders was strikingly consistent: Canada is attracting skilled people, but not always where, when, or how employers need them.

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This is above all a practical commentary, rooted in day-to-day hiring and operations. Employers are not questioning the value of immigration, but telling us where the system is falling short.

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Three themes emerged clearly across sectors and regions.

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First, credential recognition remains a critical bottleneck. Slow, inconsistent assessments delay hiring and leave qualified newcomers sidelined, frustrated, and underemployed. Employers often default to risk avoidance, even amidst talent shortages. Unfilled roles mean lost business productivity.

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Second, employers often find the immigration system difficult to navigate. Firms, particularly small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), consistently reported that they lack a single source of guidance. Information on credential pathways, wages, and settlement supports is fragmented across programs and jurisdictions. For firms without specialized HR or legal capacity, the complexity can be enough to deter them from hiring qualified talent.

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Third, housing and transportation constraints are directly shaping recruitment and retention outcomes. Employers across the country told us they are losing candidates because newcomers cannot find affordable housing or reliable ways to get to work. Even the most carefully designed immigration and employment policies will falter if workers cannot afford to live where jobs exist.

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Encouragingly, the forums demonstrated where progress is already possible. After participating, nearly three-quarters of employers said they felt better equipped to integrate immigrant talent, and 95 per cent agreed the forums enabled practical learning. Many employers reported broadening how they assess skills and experience and improving onboarding and mentorship. Others expressed a strong appetite for more responsive solutions — not one-size-fits-all rules — to improve how Canada integrates skilled immigrants into the labour market.

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This matters because most hiring in Canada does not happen at large firms with extensive resources. It happens at small- and mid-sized businesses that anchor local economies but often lack access to support finding, hiring, and keeping talent. These employers must be central to policy design.

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Governments have clear opportunities. Federally, employers recommended a national single-entry hub where businesses and immigrants can access trusted information on credential recognition, funding supports, and local settlement services to reduce duplication and lower hiring costs.