Through our Advisory Councils, the BCTIA has mobilized the local technology industry to collaborate with both Provincial and Federal governments with the goal of uncovering obstacles in current foreign worker processes and exploring alternatives that would better support tech industry growth. The summer of 2015 was a busy period for our Councils, participating in frequent discussions with both governments to discuss current foreign worker processes, key challenges, and possible improvements that would facilitate intake of high-demand technology workers within the Canadian tech market.

The general consensus is that there is a concerning shortage of senior and executive level technical talent, and that this shortage has had a direct impact on product development, delivery and revenue growth for local companies, causing some to even move operations elsewhere. Main concerns with current foreign worker processes revolve around the uncertainty of securing positive LMIAs, as well as the timing. The resulting recommendations sent to both Provincial and Federal governments include specific provisions that would mitigate challenges associated with the new LMIA process and provide greater certainty for employers seeking to fill experienced roles from abroad, such as advertising exceptions for select technology occupations and a sector-wide transition plan.

We have already started to see changes in PNP (as per the November 10, 2015 update) and are still working closely with both governments to review proposed recommendations and determine a suitable path forward. We are hopeful that this is just the beginning of many changes that are needed to improve the talent acquisition challenge for BC tech companies. A big thank you to all our members for supporting the BCTIA and our advisory initiatives, which hugely impact the growth and success of our tech community.

If you would like to learn more about our Advisory Councils or raise your hand to participate in future initiatives, please email talent@bctia.org with an expression of interest.