As FDI brings investment and jobs into smaller communities, workers have viable choices.
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When Norway-based Grieg Seafood officially opened a facility in Newfoundland in 2022, it provided a solution to a common problem for young graduates from rural communities: they often have to leave their hometowns in search of good job opportunities, especially if they want to work in booming industries such as tech or bioscience. It also provided a strong incentive for experienced professionals in other sectors to either stay in the community or, if they had already left, to come back.
“I had to move away from Newfoundland just to get my first job, so I’m really grateful to be here,” says Julia Norris, now the first feed facility manager at salmon-farming company Grieg Seafood Newfoundland, which operates in Marystown and around Placentia Bay. “When I graduated school, I never thought I would be working this close to home.”
The ability to work closer to home is becoming increasingly common, thanks in part to investment from international firms setting up shop in smaller centres. Foreign direct investment, or FDI, is having a profound impact in towns and cities far from major centres like Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver. Industries such as fishing, agriculture, automotive and tech are expanding across the country, providing economic stability and career opportunities for residents. These jobs not only improve local economies, they offer lifestyle benefits for employees and their families, who don’t have to move to pursue desired careers.
‘’I’ve experienced what it’s like to move away for work and it’s just not the same,” says Nick McCarthy, who works for Iron Ore Company of Canada in his hometown of Labrador City, NL. “You come here, you get that sense of security. You’ve got people who have been here for 40 years. It’s sustainable, it’s a great community.”
According to Invest in Canada’s CEO, Laurel Broten, that’s one of the major benefits of FDI for Canadians.
“When global companies put down roots in a community, they give people the opportunity to access competitive wages and dynamic careers at home, without having to relocate to a bigger centre,” she says. “This is the real impact of the projects Invest in Canada helps bring in: building a prosperous economy for all Canadians.”