Jenny Massey is always looking for talent. She is a partner at executive search company KBRS and is actively recruiting senior-level executives around the world.
Now her eyes are in the United States.
She said job seekers in the state typically make up 5-10% of applicants. That number has swelled to 30%, the first time since Donald Trump took office.
“It’s a massive increase in a relatively short period of time and I only hope it grows,” she said.
The number of job seekers is rapidly increasing. Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Government Efficiency (DOGE) has already eliminated an estimated 100,000 federal jobs this year through acquisitions and massive layoffs.
These reductions come in several federal sectors, including defense, veterans, agriculture, education, health and welfare services, and justice. Other agencies such as USAID, the Central Intelligence Agency and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have also been affected.
President Trump calls it an effort to reduce the government’s waste, fraud and bloated federal workforce. But the so-called bloating next door could mean a boon for employers here, including areas of high demand like healthcare.
“We have been really encouraged by the number of medical professionals looking for opportunities to move north of the border,” Massey said.
“And if this is the moment we inspire some, practice US health professionals who consider Canada a safe haven, especially during challenging times.”
Massey said Canada should be thinking about ways to identify and attract some of the best and brightest.
NB immigrants have been cut by half
The sudden increase in job seekers south of the border comes as Canada limits the number of economic migrants coming in. In October, Immigration Minister Mark Miller announced reductions in immigration levels to stabilize population growth and ease pressure on the housing market.
In the case of New Brunswick, Ottawa allocated 2,750 economic immigration spaces based on two programs: the Atlantic Immigration Program and the State Candidate Program. This is half of the space available last year.
Ted McDonald, a professor of UNB political science, believes reductions are appropriate given the aggressive immigration strategies of recent years, and that the country cannot absorb everyone in a mutually beneficial way. He said these adjustments “need time to resolve ourselves.”
However, he said high demand is good news for recruiting people into areas with a lack of skills, such as healthcare, education and trading.
“When there are fewer spots available, more supply and more people wanting to come, the competition becomes more intense,” he said. And there are some natural benefits for US applicants.
“People moving from America will have language skills… They would probably have been educated in the US, they will have American experience. All of these are attractive traits… because you are likely to move into employment, so you will be entering Canada.”
Push and Pull Factors
McDonald’s is not surprised by the recent rise in interest south of the border. He said the same thing happened during Trump’s first term.
“But this seems different,” he said. “I feel this is different.”
“I’ve only heard about the calm effects of American universities on actual unemployment, budgets being cut across the government, as well as academics whose funds have been cut and their ability to take on free speech and research.”
Massey said he received 14 applications the morning after Trump’s January inauguration. There is the talent of academics who are primarily looking to participate in Canadian universities and universities.
“That’s a very significant number overnight. We usually get much less than that.”
She says there are usually push and pull factors to recruit people, and now “There’s a huge pull factor in Canada, and for many individuals, the US has an important push factor.”
“I hear from parents who have children identified as queers and who are concerned about their well-being and safety in the school system, and from healthcare professionals who are struggling with the ethics of abortion.
“Given that the US has made some suspicious decisions, I think there is an opportunity to position ourselves in a way that can be welcoming and appealing to those who we feel welcome and unwelcome and are included in the US.”
