About the Lab
The Economic Immigration Lab (EIL) was a collaboration of the Pond-Deshpande Centre and the New Brunswick Social Policy Research Network to improve outcomes of economic immigration in New Brunswick.
The lab convened in 2017 on the following complex problem:
New Brunswick is facing the double threat of an aging and shrinking population, leading to a significant shortage of skilled workers in our province. There were over 3,200 unfilled jobs listed on NBjobs.ca and by 2032, there will be one retiree for every person earning income in New Brunswick. This imbalance not only puts a significant strain on our social services, but inhibits the potential for New Brunswick businesses to grow and compete in national and global economies.
The Lab addressed to answer the following questions:
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How might we help the NB IT Industry in leveraging international recruitment to fulfill their unmet talent needs?
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How might we help small businesses (50 employees and under) use immigration as a recruitment strategy to fulfill their unmet needs for high skilled employees?
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How might we help employers in rural communities recruit and retain talent?
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How might we help international students graduating in NB find meaningful work?
EIL Learnings
8 teams formed of members of settlement agencies, businesses, governments, non-profit organisations, and communities worked in collaboration and developed 15 prototypes (innovative solutions to improve the Lab challenge).
Lab Reports
These reports summarise the 3 years of work done in the Lab, the resources developed, and all the stakeholders involved.
Leadership Council
