Manitoba looks to Iceland for temporary foreign workers

by RICHARD GILBERT

An economic crisis in Iceland may result in more workers from the country finding employment in Manitoba.

The province’s labour minister travelled to Iceland to assess the feasibility of recruiting construction workers as temporary foreign workers (TFW).

Iceland, with a total population and labour force of about 320,000 and 150,000 respectively, has always been a country with low unemployment rates.

But since last October, when all three of the country’s major banks collapsed, labour market conditions have changed rapidly.

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Downturn making some foreign workers expendable

REMO ZACCAGNA - Herald-Tribune staff

In the current economic context, Gerry Shinn’s Joey’s Only Seafood Restaurant is somewhat of an anomaly.

The restaurant, a Grande Prairie staple since 1993, is busier than ever and Shinn said he would have to hire two more staff.

In the past, when Shinn needed to increase or maintain his staff levels to meet demand, he would look overseas and brought in temporary foreign workers, as there was a dearth of local, qualified individuals.

But with the economic downturn hitting Alberta hard, more people are seeking employment in the service industry and Shinn said he has received many more applications from Grande Prairie residents.

But since it takes up to a year for a temporary foreign worker to get through the red tape, Shinn said he doesn’t plan on trimming his staff of eight foreign workers to make way for locals.

“If we go through the applications that we’re getting, 90 per cent of them are oilpatch workers that, as soon as the oilpatch turns around at all, we’re going to be back short of staff for the length of time it takes to get foreign workers here again,” he said.

When Grande Prairie’s economy exploded in 2005 and 2006, an influx of oilpatch workers meant that service industry businesses struggled to keep up with demand.

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Plenty of work in Canada and Australia, claims Filipino official

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administrator (POEA) has told hopeful migrants that there are still jobs for them abroad despite the global economic slump.

Although many countries have been making thousands of jobs redundant, there is still requirement for foreign workers in many industries says Jennifer Manalill, the POEA.

Speaking of opportunities to work in Australia, Manalill said, "Australia has expressed intent to hire Filipino workers since they need to rehabilitate gas and oil pipes. They also need IT professionals.”

“In Canada,” says Manalill, “they're looking for health care workers and service crew such as food counter attendants. They need workers for various industries.”

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Foreign workers wary of prospects

Slowing economy sees migrants facing layoffs

By Tamara Gignac, Calgary Herald
January 4, 2009

Andreas Junkier (vest) and Uwe Schulz came to find a better life in Canada but now have to return to Germany after they were laid off.

Photograph by: Lorraine Hjalte, Calgary Herald

Alberta's need for temporary foreign workers to fill everything from fast-food jobs to oilsands construction contracts could be losing steam, along with the economy.

The province has for years grappled with a labour shortage -- the result of a dizzying building boom coupled with a changing demographic that is seeing baby boomers preparing to retire.

The solution has been a flood of immigrants into Alberta, most of whom are living here on one-or two-year visas at the request of an employer.

Alberta is home to almost one in five of the foreign workers living in Canada -- some 30,000 people--who do everything from make beds in hotels to operate machinery in Fort McMurray's oilsands.

"We've been fortunate in Alberta--but if the worldwide recession continues for any length of time, it's probably going to catch up to us," said Alberta's Employment and Immigration Minister Hector Goudreau.

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Canada's labour ministers to meet again

CALGARY — The country's labour ministers, who wrapped up a two-day meeting in Lake Louise on Friday, have agreed to gather again to tackle the impact of the economic downturn on jobs.

Federal Labour Minister Rona Ambrose said the date and location of the meeting has not yet been set, but stressed it's important the provinces and Ottawa work together to address unemployment, which is expected to rise as the recession deepens.

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A ray of hope for new immigrants

Patricia O'Connor is a petite, quiet-spoken woman who has made a big difference in the lives of hundreds of Canadian immigrants.

When I first met her earlier this week, O'Connor was surrounded by friends thanking and praising her for the work she is doing to give skilled newcomers a helping hand in finding jobs in Canada.

We were at an awards ceremony where O'Connor was one of five individuals and companies being honoured for their leadership in recruiting, retaining and promoting skilled immigrants in the Greater Toronto Area.

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Quebec Immigration Program

Skilled workers planning to apply for permanent residence in Quebec must first apply to the Quebec government for a certificate of selection (Certificat de sélection du Québec). This is because under the Canada-Quebec Accord on Immigration, Quebec establishes its own immigration requirements and selects immigrants who will adapt well to living in Quebec.

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