The Association for New Canadians is bringing the message of diversity to employers in the face of an inevitable worker shortage in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Predictions state that thousands of jobs in the province will go empty because there won't be enough workers to fill the spots.

Experts say the only way to fill this need is to bring in more immigrants and temporary foreign workers.

Sanchita Chakraborty: 'Diversity is our keyword.' (CBC)

Sanchita Chakraborty, diversity coordinator with the Association for New Canadians, said the first step is to accept the differences.

"People are different. Diversity is our keyword," she said.

Phil Whalen with Levert Personnel Resources recruits workers for the local oil industry. He said he brings in people from all over the world.

"There's no one place in particular," he said, "but there have been Americans, British, Scottish, Irish, South Africans."

The transition sometimes has bumps, but Whalen said smart employers know how to smooth them out.

"They may seem like they're different to us, but it's actually just a cultural thing that we have to accept and adapt, or teach them how to change to our culture," he said.