Retaining, including, and integrating international graduates in Canada

Principal Investigator: Greg Sears, Management
Project Title: Promoting Retention, Inclusion, and Integration of International Graduates
Co-applicant: Daniel Gulanowski, International Business
Funder: SSHRC Insight

International students represent a significant part of the global talent pool and play a pivotal role in addressing labour shortages, increasing productivity and innovation, and boosting the economies of receiving countries. Despite initiatives from countries such as Canada in actively promoting their settlement and workforce integration, many international graduates face challenges finding suitable employment and fully integrating into the Canadian workforce.

This research will investigate the unique challenges and opportunities confronting international graduates and will examine specific organizational, interpersonal, and individual factors associated with their workplace integration.  This project will draw on recent models of migrant workplace integration that emphasize the importance of developing high-quality workplace relationships, providing employer and managerial support, and strengthening newcomer intercultural and career development capabilities.

Although international students provide a diverse source of talent to Canadian organizations, there is a limited understanding of how employers are perceived by international graduates, what diversity and inclusion practices are being implemented, and how they can better support the integration of international graduates. This research will generate new knowledge that will guide employers, policy-makers, academic institutions, and career counselors on how to better facilitate international graduates’ workforce integration, and attract and retain this valuable source of talent. Practical recommendations will be developed on improving policy, workplace support, and career counseling services for international graduates, and end users can expect to apply these recommendations to better support their integration in Canada.