Changes to Labour Market Impact Assessment Recruiting Requirements (UPDATED)

Employment and Social Development Canada has announced a number of changes the requirements for Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications submitted on or after August 28^th, 2017. As Such recruiting efforts must generally run for four weeks, any new recruiting effort should consider these requirements.

The changes are as follows:

1. Mandatory Use of National Job Bank: Provinces such as BC, Saskatchewan, and Quebec have provincial employment portals. In the past, LMIAs based on positions in these provinces were required to used these provincial Job Banks instead of the national one. The change demands that all recruiting efforts use the national Job Bank, which could be in addition to the provincial counterpart – although that is not mandatory. As before, employers may elect not to use the Job Bank if there is a justifiable reason, but must submit a written rationale for such, with the understanding that this may not be accepted and the recruiting effort could be deemed insufficient.

2. Target Underrepresented Groups for Low-Wage Occupations: As before, two additional methods of recruiting consistent with the education, experience, or skill level of the advertised occupation must be used to supplement the Job Bank. The change requires that these additional methods target two of the groups that the government deems underrepresented: Indigenous persons; vulnerable youth; newcomers to Canada; and those with disabilities.

3. Mandatory use of Job Match: Employers are obliged to use the Job Bank’s ‘Job Match’ service. This system seeks to rate the expected compatibility of anonymous job seekers based on consistency of qualifications with the requirements of the advertised position. In the case of occupations that are classified as low-wage, any job seeker with a rating of two or more stars (out of five) within the first 30 days of advertisement must be invited to apply for the position. In the case of occupations that are classified as high-wage, any job seeker with a rating of four or more stars within the first 30 days of advertisement must be invited to apply for the position.

Date Posted: July 28, 2017 Posted In: Labour Market Impact Assessment,Temporary Work Permits

Tags: ESDC, LMIA, work permit, work visa