Yordanne Le Lion works in retail customer service because no one will recognize his credentials as an accountant. (Mark Holleron, Special to the OBJ)

Ottawa is experiencing an acute skills shortage, according to a report released late last week, and the dilemma can only be remedied if barriers are removed for internationally trained immigrants.

"This report gives us a first-hand account of the future health of the workforce in our region," said OCRI president and CEO Jeffrey Dale. "If we do not make a concerted effort to adopt a number of the recommendations in the report, we will continue to experience skills shortages."

The report, entitled Ottawa @ Work: Large Employer Workforce Needs, was issued by the TalentWorks program of the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation (OCRI) and the Internationally Trained Workers Project. Its conclusions are drawn from interviews with 27 of Ottawa's largest organizations, which together employ about 34 per cent of the city's workforce. It was commissioned by the City of Ottawa to investigate the perspectives of employers regarding skill and labour shortages as well as the role immigrants will play in the region's future workforce.

Mr. Dale added that it's becoming apparent where the shortfalls will be and what the consequences will be if they're not filled.

"There were a couple of interesting findings. While there are no particular shortages they've identified right now, it's acknowledged that they will be occurring in the specialization areas like management and with certain skill sets. Believe it or not, accounting and finance is an area that's starting to get tight.

"A lot of people are looking at retiring in the next few years. Lots of companies we spoke to said not only was succession a concern, so was knowledge transfer."

One large problem is how immigrants are perceived, both in the workplace and beyond. Often, foreign education isn't recognized and previous experience is ignored. Language issues, workplace acculturation and the requirement for security clearance and citizenship status in order to work for the Canadian government, continue to halt the transition from immigration to employment.

"There are many complex issues surrounding integrating internationally trained workers. There are a lot of factors such as security clearance, language and cultural issues," Mr. Dale said.

One man who knows the cold face of rejection all too well is Yordanne Le Lion, a 43-year-old trained accountant from India who is now working at a Wal-Mart store in customer service because no one will recognize his qualifications. He has taken courses in Ottawa as well, but his experience and a degree in economics partnered with a master's degree in political science have thus far done him no good.

"I'm just not getting the opportunity," he said. "I applied at this one place where the man said I have all the experience, but not from this country."

So he took a business accounting and bookkeeping course through the Ottawa-Carleton School Board, but more was required. He took a more advanced course, but was turned away time after time.

"I went to Accountemps and the person there saw my resume and gave me a test. I passed it with a mark of 86 per cent. Afterwards, he called me and said that I couldn't apply for work because employers want Canadian experience. But how can I get Canadian experience if no one will give me a chance?"

He's even offering to work for a month or two at no salary just to prove himself.

"I got work as a volunteer with a non-profit organization and they wanted to hire me full time – as a volunteer. I have to pay my rent, you know."

Mr. Le Lion's wife is still in India because he can't sponsor her to join him. Now she wants him to go back home, something he is resisting.

"I came to Canada because everyone said Canada is the best place to live. There are good people and they're trying to help, but it's very frustrating and depressing."

Ottawa @ Work reinforced findings from the 2004 Internationally Trained Workers Project report that stated all of Ottawa's new workforce growth would be supplied by internationally trained immigrants by 2011. Integrating immigrants into the workforce remains a priority for Ottawa business and public sector leaders.

"To date, our research and consultation has shown there is no one single, overarching barrier that all internationally trained workers face, but rather a complex and broad range of barriers," stated Janet Whillans of The Internationally Trained Workers Project. "Our business leaders recognize that without a strong commitment to help our immigrants move into our labour force, the local economic growth and lifestyle of our residents will be affected."

Another major concern for Ottawa employers is the loss of knowledge as senior executives retire.

Jocelyn Ghent-Mallett, chair of the TalentWorks Steering Committee, which oversaw the Ottawa @ Work study, said the problem requires urgent attention. "Gathering and sharing workforce information on an ongoing basis is a constant challenge within organizations and throughout the community. We know that employers are focused on strategies for knowledge capture and transfer. We also learned that shortages of employees with specialized skills are anticipated and that it is a matter of urgency to keep that knowledge within the organization."

The objective of The Internationally Trained Workers Project was to meet with large employers in Ottawa to identify specific employer workforce trends and issues for the next two to three years; to introduce city-wide workforce priorities requiring employer support; and to secure conceptual support for city-wide workforce projects.

The project was assisted by a $4-million grant by the Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration announced in August to assist agencies in the integration of immigrants into the community.

By Scott Taylor

scott.taylor@transcontinental.ca