I wanted to say thank you for Keith Halliday's insightful article: "Yukonomist: The future of the Yukon’s low-wage immigration program".
I would like to emphasize the importance of considering the retention rate of immigrants after obtaining permanent residency, commonly referred to as PR, regardless of the stream they come through. A few years ago, I obtained PR through the Yukon nominee program, or YNP. Back in my home country, I had a solid career as an human resources, often called HR, specialist. However, I could not apply for PR in a position that utilized my skills (due to the bad timing of the COVID-19 pandemic), so I ended up working at a fast-food shop in Yukon for two years. I liked Yukon, so I stayed and am now building my career in HR.
I want to highlight that out of the nearly 40 colleagues I worked with at the fast-food shop, 80 to 90 per cent were young immigrants aiming for PR. A few years later, only about three of us, including myself, have settled in Yukon. I understand that there are limits to the retention of workers in low-wage positions; it is challenging for anyone to plan their life around a career at minimum wage.
However, whether these immigrants step up their careers in Yukon or leave after obtaining PR makes a significant difference, particularly in terms of tax revenue. Ideally, immigrants should find jobs that match their existing skills at the time of PR application. The fundamental issue is not necessarily which stream grants access to PR, but rather the low retention rate of young workers currently in low-wage positions in Yukon.
The YNP office states that improving retention rates is the responsibility of employers.However, many business owners seem accustomed to losing their low-wage workers after they obtain PR. They are often too preoccupied with daily operations to address this issue seriously. They are often too preoccupied with daily operations to address this issue seriously. This high turnover may have contributed to the recent pause in the YNP and keeps up this labour shortage spiral.
-Yuya Matoba
