Canadian governments, at both the national and provincial levels, are courting skilled workers such as plumbers, pipefitters, electricians and others from the U.S. and elsewhere. In addition to the program under which Thomas was hired, a category for specific trades began in January to address labour shortages while easing the path to residency, the federal government said. That program is forecast to admit up to 3,000 applicants in its first year.
‘Global Competition’
“It is a global competition and Canada’s design will lead to success perhaps at the expense of other countries like the U.S.,” said Richard Kurland, a Vancouver-based immigration lawyer and policy analyst for large companies. “Canada creates a separate fast track to lure quickly desired occupations.” In 2012, Canada granted more than 38,000 skilled workers permanent residency under already existing programs.
The country is trying “to build a fast and flexible immigration system that is responsive to the needs of Canada’s economy,” Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said in a press release Jan. 2. Employers “have long been asking for ways to get the skilled tradespeople they need to meet demands in many industries across the country.”
Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor
Related Posts
Canada / Up to 76.3% of the immigrant males and 71.8% of the females are over-educated study finds
“The contribution of immigrants to a host country’s welfare largely depends on the degree to which their foreign education translates into useable qualifications and skills in the host labour market. A common finding is of the imperfect transferability of human capital across countries” writes Mesbah Fathy Sharaf in Job-Education Mismatch and Its Impact on the Earnings of Immigrants: … Continue reading »
Canada’s New Rules / Hiring foreign workers should be ‘last resort’ says Kenney
The federal government plans to tighten up the temporary foreign workers program with new legislation that would require businesses to hire employees from abroad as a “last resort.” Ottawa wants to charge employers a new fee for labour market opinions and increase the existing fees for foreigners’ work permits. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney also announced … Continue reading»
Canada / Ottawa rushes to reform foreign-worker program
Faced with continuing criticisms that foreigners are taking jobs away from Canadians, the Conservative government is rushing to make reforms to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, with officials working to include changes in the upcoming budget bill. However the government’s new-found sense of urgency – which was clearly expressed last week by Prime Minister Stephen …Continue reading »
Canada / Foreign Skilled Workers / Language ability and education credentials, greater weight to youth
New requirements for immigrants coming to Canada under the federal skilled worker program will emphasize the ability to speak English or French and give greater weight to young applicants, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced Wednesday. Once potential immigrants have their language skills assessed, their education credentials will be assessed by an organization designated by Kenney. … Continue reading »
Canada / Are Temporary foreign workers filling gap or depressing wages?
News that a consortium of mostly Chinese companies will seek permission to use exclusively Chinese labour for underground work in four proposed B.C. coal mines has blown the lid off a simmering debate over the dramatic increase in the use of Canada’s temporary foreign worker program. The Harper government, which only last spring announced measures … Continue reading»
Canada – Temporary Foreign Worker Program – Recruiters in China are charging $12,500
News that a company backed by Chinese state-owned steelmakers plans to bring more than 200 Chinese miners to work temporarily in its coal mines in northern B.C. has put a much-needed spotlight on Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program, as has news that recruiters in China are charging $12,500 a head for access to these mining … Continue reading »
Canada’s skilled-worker program / The list of jobs eligible unveiled
Foreign engineers, computer programmers and physiotherapists are among those who will qualify for a revamped federal skilled-worker program when it re-opens next month. Citizenship and Immigration Canada has released its eligible occupations list and named four organizations that will assess the credentials of applicants who studied outside of Canada. These assessments are now mandatory and … Continue reading »
Canada / RBC and job outsourcing, what can be done?
We have a skilled work force whose children are training to be equally skilled. Yet as fast as we graduate people capable of doing valuable and productive jobs, those jobs disappear. Some are simply degraded. These are the full-time jobs transformed into fragile and part-time contract employment. Some, including many that are highly skilled, are … Continue reading »
Canada / The Canadian Experience Class Reaches Record Number of Immigrants
Canada’s fastest-growing immigration stream welcomed a record 9,353 newcomers in 2012, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today. “The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) makes Canada more competitive in attracting and retaining the best and brightest individuals with the skills we need. These are people who have already demonstrated their ability to integrate into … Continue reading »
Job Market Monitor 
Discussion
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
Pingback: Canada / Is the widespread assumption that Canada is suffering from a growing shortage of labour true? | Job Market Monitor - May 24, 2013