Abstract

While most immigrant-receiving countries have restricted immigration during the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada has taken a very different approach, increasing its immigration targets over the next three years. With this move, Canada has made it clear that immigrants are expected to play a lead role in the post-pandemic economic recovery. Most of these immigrants will be admitted through Express Entry, a hybrid system introduced in 2015 that combines elements of both supply- and demand-driven selection. In this article, we examine whether Canada’s hybrid selection system meets its current and future labor market needs in a post-pandemic world. Using a mixed methods approach, we combine analysis of an administrative dataset with data from qualitative interviews with employers and experts in the immigration sector. We find that while Express Entry is a flexible and responsive tool for selecting immigrants, it narrows the occupational profiles of newcomers. The system also does not fully address the labor shortages and skills gaps described by Canadian employers. We argue that Canada’s post-pandemic labor market will require a wider range of skills, and that Express Entry’s adaptability should be carefully monitored and adjusted to broaden the skill mix of immigrants and facilitate skills match between immigrants and employers.

摘要

虽然大多数移民接收国在 COVID-19 大流行期间限制了移民，但加拿大采取了截然不同的方法，在未来三年内提高了移民目标。通过此举，加拿大明确表示，移民有望在大流行后经济复苏中发挥主导作用。这些移民中的大多数将通过 Express Entry 被录取，Express Entry 是 2015 年推出的一种混合系统，结合了供需驱动选择的要素。在本文中，我们研究了加拿大的混合选拔制度是否满足其在大流行后世界中当前和未来的劳动力市场需求。我们使用混合方法，将行政数据集的分析与来自雇主和移民部门专家的定性访谈数据相结合。我们发现，虽然 Express Entry 是选择移民的灵活且反应灵敏的工具，但它缩小了新移民的职业范围。该系统也没有完全解决加拿大雇主描述的劳动力短缺和技能差距问题。我们认为，加拿大大流行后的劳动力市场将需要更广泛的技能，应仔细监测和调整快速通道的适应性，以扩大移民的技能组合，促进移民与雇主之间的技能匹配。