Want More Diversity in Your Workforce? It's Time to Ditch the Unpaid ‘Experience Internship'

A few months ago, the federal government announced that it was planning to fast-track immigration applications to the extent that it wanted 500,000 new immigrants a year in the country by 2025. At a time when the country – all of North America, in fact – is facing a labour crunch and seeing shortfalls in the workforce, this is a step in the right direction.

From an education, talent and, crucially, a talent pipeline perspective, we have perhaps never been as strong as we are today. The question though is this: what are we doing to fully tap into this potential?

One solution that comes to mind, and perhaps one that is very simple, is revisiting unpaid internships and reassessing their viability in the modern age. Of course, internships are critical towards providing real-world work experience and are a crucial pathway to new careers for legions of fresh graduates worldwide. In fact, many business owners and executive heads alike will tout that they are providing a public service by way of the internship opportunities being doled out by the enterprises under their charge. However, when it comes underprivileged and marginalized communities, and everyone striving to make the most of what our country has to offer, the ‘experience internship’ is inherently set up for failure for these groups from the word go. How so?

The fact is that work in and of itself comes with a cost as well. There’s a cost to commute. There’s a cost for meals. There’s a huge opportunity cost, in that the unpaid internship eats into the time that someone could be putting into an actual job that pays the bills. At the same time, let us also not forget that no matter your career level, we are all – whether for better or for worse – expected to put our best foot forward and present the best version of ourselves. This brings with it the cost of a wardrobe, which isn’t cheap by any means.

Now, with this in mind, how is the average high school or undergraduate student in this country supposed to cope?

Multiply this scenario by a factor of tens of thousands and you probably have a better picture of what is going on.

Availing of an unpaid internship in a hassle-free manner entails a certain level of privilege. It means you don’t really need to worry too much about paying for the bare essentials. You likely hail from a certain socio-economic class. If all the aforementioned concerns around housing, transport, sustenance and utilities, on a day-to-day basis are addressed, then the starting line for you is much more favourable. The situation is bleaker for those coming from at-risk communities, who can’t really say the same and are pressed by the need to work to make ends meet. Whether it’s finance, human resources, marketing or publishing, they may not be able to take advantage of these valuable work-experience opportunities in the profession of their choice. The unpaid ‘experience internship’ is a non-starter and inevitably shuts the door on them.

Unpaid internships are an insurmountable hurdle to many, and can make all the difference to a student or young professional’s career. If we ignore economic barriers and shove them under the rug, we risk preventing highly capable talent with very limited financial resources from entering various professions that are in need of reinforcement right now.

We need to take the first steps towards slowing down, if not completely stopping, the revolving door of budding and entry-level talent at our firms. The path to true inclusivity lies in providing fair and equitable compensation for any services rendered – regardless of age, education level or prior workplace experience. Research has also shown that a diversity of voices and diversity of thought leads to more innovation and can be truly beneficial for a company’s bottom line – if the moral imperative alone isn’t convenient enough. We can personally attest to the creativity, resilience and unbridled drive of a multitude of interns and junior professionals that we have worked with over the years, when working on a major new regional marketing campaign or pitching for a potential client’s new business.

It’s great to see the government taking the right steps but addressing this issue requires a holistic approach. The pitfalls of not doing so are twofold: 1. It will exacerbate the current talent crisis in the country. 2. We risk alienating swathes of communities and newcomers to our country who come here in search of a fair chance and a better life. The private sector needs to step up in a big way. We frequently see calls from various quarters for ‘public-private partnerships’ to address a host of systemic issues plaguing our society. Perhaps it is now time for us to put our money where our mouth is. The onus is on us, as business leaders and managers to seize the moment that lies before us, and provide everyone with a fair chance to fully participate in the economy. An economy that is truly equitable and inclusive. And it begins with those at the helm of business across the country, from coast to coast.

Canada is often heralded worldwide as a welcoming nation. Even before you walk into a room, anywhere, you know that our country’s reputation speaks for itself. It’s one of the reasons why we currently have more than 500,000 international students at all levels, and hundreds of thousands of immigrants slated to arrive in the country over the next few years. The question is though, what kind of welcome are we truly providing them with?

This article was co-authored with Bruce MacLellan, APR, FCPRS , Founder and CEO at Proof Strategies, and first appeared in The Toronto Star, on 11 March 2023. It can be accessed here.