A Conference Board of Canada report titled “,” studies the link between immigration and innovation.
Immigrants can help Canada improve its weak performance in terms of innovation. According to the Conference Board, the country ranked 14th out of 17 industrialized countries studied by the organization. And yet, it is proven that immigrants have a positive influence on a country’s progression of knowledge and ability to innovate. In Canada, foreigners hold more than a third of research chairs, which is good for innovation. Statistics Canada notes that by 2030, foreign-born Canadians are expected to account for over a quarter of the population. There are still three major obstacles to the integration of immigrant workers into the Canadian workforce, however: the lack of recognition of foreign diplomas and work experience, workplace discrimination, and an inadequacy of enforcement of integration policies.
The economy would also benefit from a better integration of foreign-born employees. The Conference Board notes the close relationship between immigration and economic prosperity, because immigration strengthens exchanges with the outside. According to the report, an increase of 1% in the number of immigrants from a particular country leads to a 0.21% increase in imports from and 0.11% increase in exports to that country.
To download the report:
http://www.conferenceboard.ca/documents.aspx?did=3825