Surrey – The City of Surrey is one of the most diverse and fastest growing municipalities in British Columbia. Much of this growth can be attributed to immigration. While new immigrants and refugees bring skills, knowledge, talents and a strong desire to work and contribute to the Canadian economy, many face challenges in finding work.
“Immigrant and refugee residents compose over 40% of Surrey’s population,” said Mayor Linda Hepner. “As Surrey continues to grow, we need to ensure that meaningful employment is provided for all of our residents. Newcomers need jobs to feed their families, but employment also gives new immigrants and refugees a sense of belonging and confidence that they are valued by their new country.”
Surrey Newcomer Employment Week (NEW) is a new initiative of the Surrey Local Immigration Partnership (LIP). Organized in collaboration with 18 community and business organizations, the events and workshops throughout the week will provide opportunities for newcomer job seekers to connect with employers and learn more about the resources available to advance their labour market integration.
“Economic integration is not only about earning an income,” said Councillor Judy Villeneuve, Co-Chair of Surrey LIP. “Accessing meaningful employment is fundamental to a sense of belonging and Surrey NEW provides an opportunity for our community to support newcomers in building this confidence.”
A “Share Your Story” campaign is a part of Surrey NEW. It highlights the stories of local employers who have hired immigrant and/or refugees. The stories can be viewed on the Surrey LIP website at http://www.surreylip.ca/surrey-lip-blog.
Surrey NEW will take place from October 21 to October 27, 2017, with over 35 events happening in locations across the city. Detailed event information is available at http://www.surreylip.ca/content/surrey-new-newcomer-employment-week.
The Immigrant Employment Council of BC, Surrey Board of Trade and the Charted Professionals in Human Resources BC & Yukon are key partners in the Share Your Story campaign. Vancity provided sponsorship funding for Surrey NEW.