A few “big players”: Systems approach to immigrant employment in a mid‐sized city

Canada's immigration policy is regarded globally as a best practice model for selecting highly skilled migrants. Yet, upon arrival many immigrants face challenges integrating into employment. Where immigrants settle is one factor that has been shown to impact on employment integration. In Canada, regionalization policies have resulted in more immigrants settling in small to mid‐sized cities. It is important to understand how these local systems are organized to promote immigrant integration into employment. Using a systems approach, this paper presents a case study of immigrant employment in a mid‐sized city in Ontario, Canada. Through a document review and stakeholder interviews, a systems map was developed, and local perspectives were analyzed. Results demonstrate that in a mid‐sized city, few organizations play a large role in immigrant employment. The connections between these core organizations and the local labour market are complex. Any potential challenges to the system that interfere with these connections can cause a delay for newcomers seeking employment. As cities begin to experience growth driven by immigration, there is a need to ensure local services are not only available but also working effectively within the larger employment system. Key messages An important focus of Canada's immigration policy has been to improve employment integration locally. Using a systems approach allows mid‐sized cities to identify local services and how they are connected to promote employment integration of newcomers. Greater connectivity between services can streamline the employment process for immigrants settling in mid‐sized cities. Résumé La politique d'immigration du Canada est considérée dans le monde entier comme un modèle de pratique pour la sélection de migrants hautement qualifiés. Pourtant, à leur arrivée, de nombreux immigrants ont du mal à s'intégrer sur le marché du travail. Il a été démontré que le lieu d'établissement des immigrants est un facteur qui affecte leur intégration professionnelle. Dans ce contexte, les politiques de régionalisation ont fait que davantage d'immigrants s'installent dans des villes petites ou moyennes. Il est important de comprendre comment ces systèmes locaux d'emplois sont organisés pour favoriser l'intégration des immigrants. En utilisant une approche systémique, cet article présente une étude de cas sur l'emploi d'immigrants dans une ville de taille moyenne en Ontario. À travers un examen de documents et la tenue d