by Tim Morson – Pace Law Firm: Hiring skilled immigrants makes good business sense for Canadian employers seeking to grow globally and at home. A recent survey by EKOS, a leading Canadian market research and polling firm, found that one in five employers has hired a skilled immigrant to help them expand globally and locally, and feels that employees with international education and experience are effective in helping them meet their business goals.

The survey was conducted for the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC).

Among the key research findings:

– Almost 1 in 5 Canadian employers have hired a skilled immigrant to help diversify their company’s client base globally

 – Canadian employers also hire skilled immigrants to target local cultural communities to find new business opportunities

– 1 in 10 Canadian employers have hired a skilled immigrant because their competitors were benefiting from hiring skilled immigrants

“This research confirms that hiring immigrants to expand into local and global markets can be an effective business strategy for employers,” says Elizabeth McIsaac, TRIEC’s executive director. “We know there is a strong business case for employing skilled immigrants and these findings prove it.”

The results can be viewed here.