Filipino Skilled Workers needed in Canada

Nova Scotia, Canada

Another Canadian province, Nova Scotia is suffering from labor shortage and looking at the Philippines to solve their employment problems. However just like with Manitoba, British Columbia and Saskatchewan, appropriate law and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Nova Scotia and the Philippines must first be enacted before the recruitment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) begins.

The MOU between the Philippine government and several Canadian provinces ensures fair labor rights to OFWs and set provisions for salary, housing and medical benefits. The agreement also established formal process for worker recruitment and protection as well as provide requirements for training and certification.

The chairman of the Commission of Filipinos Overseas, Dante Ang said, "We have an abundance of well-educated and well-trained professionals in the Philippines and Nova Scotia has a shortage. More Filipinos will come to Nova Scotia, but there must be a process in place."

According to Mr. Ang there are lots of good reasons why Filipino workers would find working in Nova Scotia favorable. It is unfortunate that Nova Scotia took minimal effort to encourage OFWs to seek employment there.

Ang explained, "When professional people in the Philippines think about Canada they think first about British Columbia, and then perhaps about Toronto and perhaps Montreal. They would give more thought to coming to Nova Scotia if they knew more about it. "

The commission chairman informed that as of this writing only around 500 Filipino families are based in Nova Scotia. The figures are expected to dramatically increase once the formal labor agreement is formalized and implemented.

Manitoba Canada

In the advisory issued by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) the province of Manitoba in Canada recently signed an agreement with the Philippine government for the recruitment of Filipino workers. The Canadian province is in need of skilled Filipino workers such as truck drivers, welders, machinists, boilermakers, sheet metal workers, glaziers, pipe fitters, plasterers, drywall installers, carpenters, cabinetmakers, bricklayers and stone masons. The Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), which allows overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to enter Canada as a temporary foreign worker or a permanent resident, was signed by Manitoba Premier, Gary Doer. The use of either temporary work permit or permanent residency excludes jobseekers for live-in caregiver or those who are already approved as Manitoba provincial nominees. The MOA also discussed the procedures in hiring and deployment of OFWs to be deployed in Manitoba. Before entering Canada, either by temporary or permanent resident, applicants must comply with the following requirements: Medical health examination by the Citizenship and Immigration Canada Passed an English language proficiency test Must not have an outstanding custody or divorce dispute, this will make them ineligible to enter Canada Must not have a criminal record Possess skills required by the employer. According to the POEA Administrator Rosalinda Baldoz, there are some two million overseas jobs that are soon to be offered to skilled Filipino workers in the years to come. These job openings are particularly offered in Alberta, Manitoba,Prince Edward Island and in British Columbia. The Canadian provinces will need welders, fabricators, transportation, nurses, caregivers, nannies and pipe fitters. Aside from the skilled positions, there will also be job openings for temporary or seasonal workers who will work for the Winter Olympics in 2010.