Government of Canada marks one-year anniversary of the Global Talent Stream pilot
New in-demand occupations added to Global Talent Occupations List
OTTAWA, June 12, 2018 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, marked the one-year anniversary of the launch of the Global Talent Stream pilot by adding three new STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) occupations to the Global Talent Occupations List and continuing to address the high-skilled labour market needs of innovative employers in Canada.
The 24-month Global Talent Stream pilot gives companies in Canada the talent edge they need to scale up and be more innovative. Employers using the Global Talent Stream get priority processing and flexible recruitment requirements to help them quickly bring in top talent to Canada with very specialized skills or who are skilled in occupations where there is a strong demand for workers.
This pilot project supports the Canadian economy by helping businesses get the expertise they need when they need it, and gives Canadians an opportunity to work alongside and learn from some of the world's best talent. Employers using the Global Talent Stream are also eligible for faster work permit processing, making Canada a more attractive and welcoming place for workers with in-demand and specialized skills.
A unique component of the Global Talent Stream pilot is that all applicants must commit to creating lasting benefits for the Canadian labour market. Employers must develop a Labour Market Benefits Plan outlining commitments, such as job creation or knowledge transfer, to benefit the broader Canadian economy. As of April 30, 2018, Employment and Social Development Canada has worked with employers to create 500 employer‑specific Labour Market Benefit Plans outlining the activities they will undertake to meet their Global Talent Stream commitments. The commitments made in these plans include creating over 27,000 jobs for Canadians or permanent residents and investing over $41 million in skills and training.
Quote
"Over the past year, we have heard many stories of how the new Global Talent Stream is giving our companies the edge they need to attract and bring in the world's best talent, who are sharing their skills with their Canadian colleagues and helping our businesses grow. By adding additional occupations to the Program, we are helping even more companies in Canada to be globally competitive and grow, increasing the number of well-paying jobs for Canadians."
- The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour
"The Global Skills Strategy provides employers with fast, reliable access to workers with specialized skill sets or leadership abilities when they are needed to help them launch operations or expand business in Canada. In turn, that creates good jobs for Canadians. Through the GSS, we are giving Canadian employers a competitive edge in attracting world-class talent with its fast processing times and enhanced customer service."
- The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Quick Facts
- As of April 30, 2018, the Global Talent Stream has received more than 1,500 applications for over 1,600 positions.
- Employers applying to use the Global Talent Stream come from a wide range of industries, including:
- information and communications technology;
- visual effects and animation;
- video-gaming and entertainment;
- advanced manufacturing;
- financial services; and
- clean technology.
Associated Links
Global Skills Strategy
Global Talent Stream Designated Partners
Global Talent Stream Occupations List
Backgrounder
The Global Talent Stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program is a 24-month pilot program which aims to help innovative companies quickly access the highly skilled talent they need to scale-up and grow.
The Global Talent Stream is available to:
- Category A: Employers in Canada seeking to hire unique and specialized foreign workers and that have been referred to the Global Talent Stream by an ESDC Designated Partner because they are an innovative Canadian company seeking to scale-up and grow.
- Category B: Firms in Canada that need to hire highly skilled foreign workers for occupations found on ESDC's Global Talent Occupations List because they have been determined to be in demand and for which there is insufficient domestic labour supply.
Effective as of June 12, the Global Talent Occupations List has been updated to ensure it continues to reflect the Canadian labour market and the needs of innovative companies.
The following changes have been implemented:
- engineering managers (NOC 0211), architecture and science managers (NOC 0212), and mathematicians and statisticians (subset of NOC 2161) have been added to the list;
- electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians (NOC 2241) have been removed from the list due to changing labour market conditions; and
- the requirements for producer, technical, creative and artistic director, and project manager in the visual effects and videogame fields (subset of NOC 5131), and digital media designers (subset of NOC 5241) have been amended to better reflect highly skilled, in-demand positions.
The Global Talent Stream gives eligible employers access to a new streamlined process that provides:
- client-focused service to help them through the Global Talent Stream application process;
- no minimum recruitment requirements;
- processing of applications including the Labour Market Benefits Plan in 10 business days by ESDC 80 percent of the time; and
- eligibility for temporary foreign workers to have their work permits processed in 10 business days by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada 80 percent of the time.
This results in timely, responsive and predictable service that allows companies to attract top talent to scale-up, grow and remain globally competitive.
The Global Talent Stream pilot is one of the pillars of the Government of Canada's Global Skills Strategy. It is a key part of the Innovation and Skills Plan which aims to make Canada a world-leading centre for innovation, to help create more well-paying jobs, and strengthen and grow the middle class. It is one of the many ways in which the Government is positioning Canada at the leading edge of a changing world economy. The other pillars of the Global Skills Strategy are permanent and include:
- establishing a two-week standard for processing work permit applications (and temporary resident visas when applicable) for highly skilled talent;
- creating a dedicated service for companies looking to make significant job-creating investments in Canada; and
- dropping the work permit requirement for short-term highly skilled work (for instance, 30 days or less in a 12-month period) and brief academic stays.
Throughout the second year of the two-year pilot, the Government will continue to review employer use of the Global Talent Stream to determine the next steps for the Program. This includes checking in with employers on their progress on their commitments made in their employer-specific plans.
SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada
For media enquiries, please contact: Véronique Simard, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Patty Hajdu, P.C., M.P., Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, [email protected], 819-654-5611; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]; Mathieu Genest, Minister's Office, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 613-954-1064; Media Relations, Communications Branch, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 613-952-1650, [email protected]
Share this article