Northwestern Ontario launches new employment portal to address labour shortage

Northwestern Ontario has seen the release of a new immigration site that hopes to address the labour shortage in the area.

The Employer Portal, found at www.movetoNWOntario.ca, was developed in collaboration with 32 communities across the Northwest, the Thunder Bay Multicultural Association, City of Thunder Bay, regional employers, economic development agencies and employment agencies.

The goal is to connect businesses with immigrants looking to fill the employee gap in Ontario’s Northwest, educating employers on how to hire newcomers and calm any concerns when it comes to international skills and qualifications, visas and work permits.

Cathy Woodbeck, the executive director at the Thunder Bay Multicultural Association, said the portal is a necessary step, one that’s been a long time coming.

She said many communities and many employers were on board with attracting and keeping newcomers to fill jobs that otherwise were going unfilled, but weren’t sure the best way to approach the hiring process.

“The resources there are for all of those needs,” Woodbeck said. “How to recruit, what the process is like, what do you do step-by-step, who the resources are in the region to help you do that, what you can do at your work place and how you help a newcomer through the steps of things they may not know about – like the tax process, housing or (other) issues.”

Read more here.

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