Kick-Starting Employer Action

In a competitive job market and new to Canada, many Syrian refugees, like other skilled newcomer professionals, find it difficult to connect to employers that are hiring and secure a good job. That was the catalyst for the creation of the Syrian Refugees Jobs Agenda in December 2015, an employer roundtable convened in Toronto by Senator Ratna Omidvar and Hire Immigrants through the Global Diversity Exchange (GDX) at Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Management.Representing sectoral interests of employers across the Greater Toronto Area – business, government and non-profit organizations – roundtable members focused their energies on identifying employment opportunities for Syrian newcomers and matching their talent to the needs of employers. The Syrian Refugees Jobs Agenda quickly emerged as an action-oriented group of local leaders having measurable impact on identifying and creating employment opportunities for Syrian newcomers that arrived as refugees.

One year later, the Syrian Refugee Jobs Agenda has published a new guide for employers on hiring newcomers: Kick-Starting Employer Action, offers employers and cities helpful suggestions on how they can ensure newcomers succeed in the workplace.

Read the full article on the Cities of Migration website.