S. Government made substantial changes to its immigration regulation so it is easier for highly skilled Canadians to move there. For example,"Canadian workers in qualifying professional occupations can readily gain entry into the United States, needing only to show proof of their qualification and a job offer from an employer in the United States"" (Drew et al. 10). With these issues relating to attracting and retaining employees to Canadian companies, Canadian Human Resources professionals must develop innovative ways to maintain and grow their current work force of highly skilled workers. .
How Does Brain Drain Affect the High-Tech Industry?.
Past Industry Trends.
The high-tech sector has dramatically changed in the past several years. The Internet started the explosion of a new breed of companies whose goals were to develop innovative software and hardware that can operate on this new communication medium. As a result, there was a demand for highly skilled technical individuals who had innovative skills as well as the will to advance the company ahead of its competitors. The American market was a birthplace of many new and highly successful high-tech companies, especially ones that were located in Silicon Valley, San Jose (U.S.), and many of them offered new employees highly attractive financial incentives to lure them to their organization. The strong U.S. dollar, high salaries and stock options lured many candidates from Canada to the U.S. The brain drain is a highly visible problem to many high-tech Canadian companies. Strategies used by U.S. companies to recruit and retain employees overpowered many Canadian companies who could not meet or exceed the financial incentives offered.
An interview conducted by Personnel Systems of over 130 individuals revealed interesting results of how Canadians viewed companies in Canada, their reasons for leaving and their expectations in the U.S. Some of the respondent's answers are listed below:.
