RP workers get priority hiring in Canada province

To stem the growing labor shortage, the government of British Columbia has signed an agreement with the Philippines to prioritize the employment of Filipino migrant workers in the Canadian province.

Philippine Labor Secretary Arturo Brion signed a two-year memorandum of understanding with Economic Development Minister Colin Hansen in Vancouver on Tuesday, according to a report in Vancouver Sun.

The agreement will establish a labor committee that will formulate specific guidelines for training, certifying and assessing employees in the Philippines as well as employers in Canada.

With more than one million new job openings expected by 2020 and only 650,000 young people in the school system, British Columbia will be looking for 350,000 skilled workers from outside the province over the next 12 years.

Under the agreement, the Philippine government will set up a labor office in Vancouver to evaluate potential employers, streamline applications and provide support and social services for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

"We hope to convene this joint labor committee as soon as possible and to have it set up in three months. We already have a labor attaché in Toronto, but this one (in Vancouver) will serve Western Canada," Brion said.

According to the report, the joint agreement will focus on helping Canadian companies in tourism, hospitality and construction industries.

"We are confident that this agreement will significantly increase the number of Filipino workers in B.C.," Hansen said.

"We want this to be a very good and positive work experience for those individuals, whether they come as temporary workers for a few months and years, whether they come with their families or not, and whether or not they choose to establish permanent residency in B.C.," he added.

The Philippines currently runs 34 overseas labor offices in Canada, according to the report.

The Filipino community is the third largest minority group in Canada. More recently, companies and provinces in Western Canada have been especially interested in the Philippines as a source of workers.

The Philippines signed a similar agreement with Saskatchewan province, also in Canada, in late 2006. The provinces of Alberta and Manitoba are said to be working out similar arrangements.

Canada, specifically British Columbia, is one of the new markets for workers from the Philippines.

"So far, Filipino workers here have been arriving here in an unregulated manner. We want to make sure there is priority for B.C. and regulations that will protect Filipino workers and all stakeholders," Brion said.

Last year, more than one million workers left the Philippines for overseas employment. Remittances from Filipinos abroad reached $13 billion in the first 11 months of 2007.

This year, the Philippines plans to set up new labor offices in Australia/New Zealand, Macau, and Ireland. - Mark J. Ubalde, GMANews.TV

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