Employment is an important need that newcomer youth have as they settle into life in Canada. Preparing for work, finding a job, and building their careers in Canada are also critical challenges. With funding from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada through the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS) program, JVS Toronto (JVS), the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC), and WoodGreen Community Services (WoodGreen) jointly led a research project to better understand the assets newcomer youth bring to the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) workforce, as well as the barriers they encounter.
The project was an opportunity for us to learn from newcomer youth in all their diversity about their correspondingly diverse employment experiences and what can be done to ensure all youth are able to realize their full potential. Throughout the project, efforts were made to meaningfully engage youth not only as participants in the research but also in research planning, implementation, analysis and validation of the findings. Through surveys, focus groups, interviews and workshops, we heard from youth, employment-related service providers, employers, educators and others on newcomer youth’s employment journeys.
The consolidated report – Hidden Talent: Unlocking the Employment Potential of Newcomer Youth in the Toronto Region – highlights the data and insights gathered by JVS, TRIEC, WoodGreen, and our partners, and offers actionable recommendations to foster better employment outcomes for newcomer youth in the GTA including recommendations for programs and services, community and service networks, and employers.
Recommendations for each of these areas are organized into various stages of newcomer youth’s employment journey, including pre-employment, job search and labour market entry, and building a career.
These findings and recommendations can be viewed in the full report, summary report (in English and French), newcomer youth journey maps, and summary infographics at the YESS webpage on TRIEC’s website. You can also view the summary report below.