Matthew Smedley: Tapping into untapped talent will ease BC’s hiring crisis

Article content

There is much to celebrate in Canada’s growing number of jobs. New data from Statistics Canada shows that while job creation continues to rise across the country, unemployment in British Columbia remains stable at only 5.6 percent – among the lowest rates in the country. But behind the positive figures there is an undesirable obstacle. Yes, the job market may be moving forward, but the labor shortage is forcing many British Columbia employers to slow down.

Article content

The hiring crisis can be overwhelming. During an economic reboot in which startups should be booming across the country, 55 percent of entrepreneurs are unable to hire, according to a report from the Business Development Bank of Canada this fall. Some companies are even delaying expansions or canceling orders entirely. All of this will inevitably lead to more pandemic headaches this holiday shopping season for both customers and business owners: longer wait times, larger lines, fewer workers, higher prices, and more frustration.

But what if there was a solution? What if there was a pool of thousands of unexploited workers who could contribute hundreds of thousands of hours of work a year? Our research shows that it exists, and that these workers can save employers money, increase retention, and boost staff morale. I’m talking about tapping into talent that is traditionally excluded from the workforce: British Colombians of diverse abilities.

Article content

What are “diverse abilities”? The term describes Canadians who are often trapped outside of traditional employment: people living with physical disabilities, neurodiversity such as autism, mental health issues, or experience with homelessness and addiction. Sometimes the barriers to work are invisible, sometimes they are not. But the term is used to emphasize that everyone’s abilities are varied and all have value. While most would agree that everyone should be job-ready, hiring practices continue to alienate many from the job market, and many employers do not make concerted efforts to tap into this talent pool. Sometimes this is due to stigma and discrimination, but mostly because employers simply don’t know better – they are following archaic hiring processes that claim the benefits of diverse hiring are lost and they just don’t know what or how. do it. change this. In any case, excluding talented people from the job market has massive consequences, as more than 1 in 5 Canadians have various skills or barriers to work.

Article content

It is a challenge that Mission possible – the organization that I lead – has been tackling for years. As the pandemic raged, we gently launched a first of its kind business guide called Untapped Talent , along with sixteen other partner organizations, providing a step-by-step guide on how to design jobs that can be filled by talented staff of diverse skills. The research we compiled for the guide is compelling; While it was collected before the pandemic, the data is more relevant now than ever:

Companies with inclusive hiring practices generate 40 percent more revenue than those that don’t, are twice as likely to meet or exceed financial targets, and six times more likely to respond effectively to market changes ( like a pandemic).

Article content

Companies with inclusive practices are also more likely to attract business than the roughly 20 percent of those living with some type of disability or barrier, representing $ 55 billion in purchasing power.

Simply put, inclusive hiring is win-win for everyone – the employee, the company, and the customer. And our guide challenges the assumption that doing it is too complicated. The most basic takeaways include everything from interview tailoring to flexible shift schedules and gradual entry. It can be simple and effective.

But there’s a more compelling reason to hire inclusively: Leveraging this talent pool will transform lives. Every day, I see people of varying abilities walk into work with a beaming smile after years of being left out, as does my friend Steve, who struggled to find a job after an experience with homelessness and homelessness disorder. posttraumatic stress. He and others are ready and willing to tackle the labor shortage, and BC needs them.

While embracing the suggestions in our business guide won’t completely solve the jobs crisis, inclusive hiring will ease the pressure and prepare employers for a post-pandemic world. It’s time for British Columbia employers to rise to the occasion en masse and make this an ongoing practice on our journey to recovery from the pandemic.

Matthew Smedley is the director of empowerment for Mission Possible, a Vancouver charity that helps people experience a renewed sense of dignity and purpose through meaningful work.