Nearly one-half can’t find HR jobs in Ontario: Study
Bola Adeniyi-Taiwo worked in HR at a bank in Nigeria for 15 years, eventually holding the position of general manager of HR corporate services.
Educated in England and Switzerland, with bachelor degrees in law and German and a master’s degree in international human resources, Adeniyi-Taiwo began researching the Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation in 2003, when she knew she would be immigrating to Windsor, Ont.
“As somebody coming here as a foreigner into Canada, it was very important to get a Canadian certification. That is the only way you can improve your job opportunities,” she said.
She became a member of the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA), Ontario’s HR association, in 2004 and started working on the designation’s prerequisites while still in Nigeria. When she moved to Canada in 2006, she immediately registered at St. Clair College in Windsor to complete the required courses and shortly thereafter wrote the National Knowledge Exam (NKE) for the CHRP.
After a couple of years of not being able to find a permanent job commensurate with her experience in Canada, Adeniyi-Taiwo founded her own consulting company, Woodsbridge Educational and Career Management Services.
Even now, with her CHRP and several years of working in Canada, it’s hard to find Canadian clients and most of her business comes from Nigeria.
“I made sure I kept that link with home,” said Adeniyi-Taiwo.
Unfortunately, her story isn’t unique. Many qualified HR internationally educated professionals (IEPs) have a hard time finding jobs that match their qualifications and experience, according to a study by HRPA.
Accelerating the Integration of Internationally Educated Human Resources Professionals reviewed previous research on the experiences of IEPs in all professions. It held focus groups with 89 HR IEPs from 34 countries, as well as 18 employers, and surveyed 110 HR IEPs.
Sixty-four per cent of respondents had a bachelor’s or master’s degree and 71 per cent had seven or more years of HR experience in their home country, found the study.
Nearly all (94 per cent) came to Canada with the intention of finding a job in HR. However, after two years, only 48 per cent had done so. This means there is a 46-per-cent gap between their intention to work in HR and the reality of finding a job in the profession, said Justin Ramesar, a chapter relations specialist at HRPA and co-author of the study. Not only are IEPs losing out but so are Canadian organizations, he said.
“HR IEPs are the key to businesses reaching untapped markets and producing new products. IEPs bring to the table a unique cultural understanding that their native counterparts lack,” said Ramesar.
“We know that HR IEPs are innovative and adaptable. They have proven leadership capabilities and access to professional networks that give them a knowledge advantage, and give the business a knowledge advantage, over their competition.”
Hiring IEPs will also lead to decreased turnover, absenteeism and health costs, while promoting the organization as a best-in-class place to work, he said.
Several barriers identified
The study identified several barriers to HR IEPs integrating into the profession in Ontario.
The CHRP is a passport to employment, said respondents, and 21 per cent have the designation while 24 per cent are working on it. However, many participants in the focus groups said the cost of obtaining the CHRP is prohibitive for newcomers.
They would also like the process to recognize their original qualifications so they’re not going over the same ground.
Participants view HRPA as professional, proactive and a conduit to the profession. As such, 70 per cent are members. However, they don’t believe the association is IEP-friendly or empathetic to their needs. And the programs offered by HRPA, while valuable, are too costly.
Networking events, mentoring programs and internships targeted to IEPs would help them in their job search, said participants (see sidebar).
“We need to help people build their networks so that when they land they can find a job commensurate with their experiences,” said Ramesar.
While employers in the focus group see the value HR IEPs bring to an organization in terms of their international perspective, innovation and creativity, they want a third-party verification of HR IEPs’ qualifications and want them to have Ontario-specific employment law knowledge.
Integration strategy launched
To address these issues and help HR IEPs integrate more quickly into the profession in Ontario, HRPA has launched an HR IEP integration strategy.
Part of the strategy is a points-based system, Alternative Routes, that will expedite the recognition of professional experience, training and coursework to speed up an IEP’s ability to write the NKE.
The association has also introduced an HR IEP member category so these professionals can access the association’s networking and professional development opportunities, at a more affordable cost, for 12 months.
To help HR IEPs find the information and mentoring and bridging programs they need to integrate into the profession easier and faster, HRPA created an online portal specifically for them.
HRPA is partnering with an IEP agency to provide an Ontario employment law course, which it expects to launch in the next few months. The association, in partnership with IEP agencies, will also host three HR IEP conferences in 2010.
The conferences will educate employers on the value of HR IEPs, provide cross-cultural competency training for middle managers, especially around performance management and coaching, and provide networking and professional development opportunities, such as self-promotion workshops, for HR IEPs, said Ramesar.
“This is a great opportunity for IEPs, employers and agencies to network, learn and generate an increased awareness of the value HR IEPs bring to the table,” he said.
“I was really excited,” said Adeniyi-Taiwo of HRPA’s strategy. “That’s really where the HRPA should be going.”
By next year, immigration will account for all of Canada’s net labour force growth, according to Statistics Canada. This means as employers climb out of the recession, they will increasingly rely on sources outside of Canada for professional talent. If they don’t do a better job of integrating IEPs, they will lose out.
“The real mental shift that has to happen is with the employers,” said Adeniyi-Taiwo. “HR is HR anywhere in the world.”
In the future, HRPA wants to establish a reciprocal mentorship program where mentors provide career coaching and networking activities while IEPs provide new market information and share effective HR strategies from their home countries.
