Article content continued

In previous years, it would have been impossible for Wave, which provides accounting software to small businesses in more than 200 countries, to bring in Naidoo, who has executive experience in banking and e-commerce, so quickly — it would have been difficult to do in less than a year, never mind six weeks.

But Naidoo was fast-tracked under a new federal program called the Global Talent Stream, currently running as a 24-month pilot, which has helped fast-growing Canadian tech companies recruit and retain highly skilled talent from around the world.

The pilot is a key component of Ottawa’s goal to stimulate innovation and encourage economic development and diversification and it has had some success, but industry executives say it at best solves half the problems tech-sector HR managers face, because Canadian tech talent continues to be lured by the buzz of Silicon Valley’s biggest companies even as it’s easier to bring in foreign workers.

The Global Talent Stream program is at least a start in addressing that issue. In the year before the programlaunched in June 2017,Wave hired two senior people from abroad in a drawn-out process that Ashira Gobrin, the company’s senior vice-president of people and culture, said took nine months for one position and 12 months for the other.

“Imagine trying to hire 20 or 30 or 50 engineers. You’re hiring for immediate needs. How would I even know if in 12 months that I will have an open position at that time?” Gobrin said. “Six weeks is a hell of a lot better than the nine to 12 months we were dealing with previously.”