Broadening your hiring pool: under-represented workers

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Finding the right employees can feel like a challenge. What do you do when you are not able to find a good candidate through your usual pathways? Perhaps you need to consider hiring from the following under-represented groups? Here are a few different groups of people who are often overlooked for employment for a variety of reasons: 

Older Workers

Some seniors have left the work force and are now eager to return. There are many advantages to hiring an older worker:

• Years of Experience
• Knowledge
• Strong work ethic
• Can be mentors to younger staff.
• Older workers typically remain with an employer longer, reducing the costs associated with hiring and training new staff

People with Disabilities 

22% (more than 6.2m) of Canadians identify as having a disability. What business owner doesn’t want access to an untapped labour pool? Yet many companies shy away from hiring a person with a disability for reasons that are not rooted in fact:

Learn more about hiring people with disabilities: 

• Job Bank Hiring – Hire persons with disabilities  
• Job Bank: For persons with disabilities   

Indigenous workers:

Indigenous youth are one of the fastest growing young populations in Canada; an estimated 600 000 Indigenous youth will enter/have entered the labour market between 2001 and 2026. 

Learn more about hiring Indigenous workers:

• Aboriginal Job Board
• Job Bank: Hiring Indigenous peoples
• Indigenous Careers 

Refugees 

The Canadian government has made it easier than ever to hire skilled refugees in Canada by creating the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot.

Learn more about hiring refugees:

• The Employer’s Roadmap to hiring and retaining internationally trained workers 

New Immigrants

In 2022, Canada welcomed 431,645 permanent residents with targets increasing in upcoming years. It is now easier than ever to hire a permanent foreign worker.

Learn more about hiring new immigrants: 

• Hire a permanent foreign worker  
• Job Bank Hiring: Recruit newcomers to Canada
• Job Bank: Find a job in Canada as a newcomer 

Reservists: 

Reservists represent a highly trained labour pool and offer a variety of transferable skills including but not limited to:

• Organizational Skills
• Problem Solving and Issue Resolution
• Leadership
• Teamwork

Reservists are focused on the greater good of their unit, either in the field or in the workplace. Many small businesses thrive by employing one of these highly skilled individuals.

Learn more about hiring reservists:

• Supporting reservists   
   

Veterans 

Canadian Armed Force Vets are known for being highly skilled in many areas: 

• Leadership
• Organization
• Technology

Learn more about hiring veterans:

• Employers seeking to hire veterans
• Job Bank: For veterans
• Indeed: Hiring Veterans 

Offenders 

The Correctional Service of Canada has created a pool of highly skilled labour. Helping an offender find meaningful employment supports positive reintegration into Canadian society. 

Learn more about hiring offenders:

• Hiring an offender