Recruitment and selection of immigrant professionals in Canada: A case study

Abstract

As Canada continues to move towards a high-skilled knowledge economy, immigrant professionals are necessary to fill the shortfall of required workers. This study is designed to answer important conceptual and practical questions about the reasons for a gap between an organization’s goal to hire immigrant professionals and the actual outcome. Utilizing a case study of three multinational corporations, all recipients of Canada’s Best Diversity Employer award, 18 informants were interviewed. These informants included recruiters and hiring managers working across Canada, holding positions of junior manager to executive. By analyzing the organizations’ recruitment and selection processes, a better understanding of what strategic human resource management (SHRM) systems lead to immigrant professional hiring has been gained. Focusing on vertical and horizontal linkages under a configurationally SHRM theory, it is evident that implementation of a holistic process is fundamental to improving recruitment and selection of immigrant professionals outcomes. This research adds to the body of work of SHRM by applying a micro perspective and provides recommendations for practical applications.