Labour market shortages in Kingston are already being felt. At the same time, Kingston is welcoming an increasing number of international professionals and working aged people to settle here. We at KEYS have heard stories about the successes and challenges of newcomer inclusion into the Kingston workplace but wanted to get some hard data on what the landscape really looks like for newcomer workers and the organizations who want to hire them. To this end, we contracted D & D Consulting to conduct a research project:  Establishing a Baseline on Diversity & Inclusion, and Immigrant Recruitment & Retention in Kingston-Area Workplaces. To view the full research study, please click here. 

The study found that, while 95.2% of Kingston employers believe that immigrants are beneficial for the local workforce, there are still some challenges in recruiting and retaining suitable newcomer employees. And, though nearly 70% of newcomer and immigrant workers feel respected in their workplaces, many feel that their skills are under-utilized. 

Newcomers Empowering Business has created a Workplace Intercultural Intelligence Toolkit based on the research and recommendations, that employers can access here.  

Newcomers interested in getting involved in creating better workplace newcomer inclusion can find out more here.