Immigration has always been important to Canada’s economic growth and prosperity. Now, with the declining birth rate and aging population – by 2035 nearly one-fourth of residents will be aged 65 or older – Canada’s reliance on immigration to keep the country economically strong will continue to rise.

“Canada will need to increasingly rely upon immigrants to meet the country’s labour market needs and spur future economic growth,” says Kareem El-Assal, Conference Board of Canada research associate, education and immigration. “The Conference Board forecasts that in order to meet its current labour market needs, Canada will likely take in over 350,000 immigrants annually by 2035.”

Canadian immigrants come from all over the world. They bring a plethora of social values, cultural norms, customs and behaviours. Canada is well-known as a country that not only welcomes different cultures but supports them in maintaining the traditions that make them unique.
With team members coming from different countries and bringing different cultural traits, business practices such as leading teams, communicating objectives, and building relationships—all integral to career success—can be a challenge. If these skills are not honed quickly, employers could lose valuable talent or experience conflict in the workplace.

Striving towards true cultural inclusion and equity in the workplace cannot be based on policies, processes and procedures alone. It has to start with individuals truly believing in the value of culturally diverse teams and in their need and ability to expand their own cultural competency. Research conducted by the Conference Board of Canada shows that employers will benefit from developing a diverse workforce and enhancing cultural competence within their organization. As immigration continues to increase, improving intercultural communications will be vital to the success of both local and global organizations.

Training in intercultural communication can build cultural competence for international workers and help them to succeed in the culturally diverse Canadian marketplace. And since intercultural communication and collaboration is a two-way street, recent immigrants and employees born in Canada can also be taught valuable skills for dealing with colleagues, clients, and customers from diverse backgrounds. Specialized training can help them learn how to adapt to the global workplace, be culturally inclusive, have greater sensitivity to others, and foster an environment of collaboration and mutual respect in their organizations. The benefit of such training goes beyond strictly intercultural communications. It can help employees to improve their interpersonal skills, gain self-confidence, develop ethical behaviour skills, and enhance their leadership abilities.

Employees with good communications skills are key to developing a productive and positive workplace built on trust and a spirit of cooperation – one that ultimately fosters loyalty in employees and benefits from a lower turnover rate.

Katerina Belazelkoska, Ph.D. is Program Manager for the Workplace Communication in Canada Program at The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education, Ryerson University. They recently launched the new Intercultural Communication for the Canadian Workplace (ICCW) course series of four hybrid courses and a fully online ICCW Training Program. To learn more about the ICCW course series and the online training program, visit www.ryerson.ca or email: wcc@ryerson.ca