Province in Canada needs thousands of Filipino professionals, workers

By NIÑA CORPUZ, ABS-CBN News

Ten thousand professionals and workers are needed immediately in the province of Alberta in Canada as they are experiencing a shortage in doctors, nurses, dentists, engineers, machine operators and mechanics.

The Canadian province of Alberta has entered into an agreement (Memorandum of Understanding or MOU) with the Philippines’ Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) concerning human resource deployment and development to promote employment opportunities in Alberta.

Hector Goudreau, Alberta's Minister of Employment and Immigration said they prefer Filipino workers because of their skills, flexibility, adaptability and good work ethics.

"You have people and we don't," said Goudreau.

Those who want to apply to Alberta are required to have experience which is why Philippine Labor Secretary Marianito Roque is looking at "labor mobility" where DOLE plans to transfer overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) whose contracts are about to expire in countries like the Middle East and move them to Canada.

Roque said that OFWs in Canada earn much higher than those in the Middle East.

For example, welders earn 6,000 Canadian dollars a month compared to only 400-500 dollars in Saudi Arabia. Pipe fitters earn 3,800 Canadian dollars and Nurses earn 4,500 Canadian dollars.

Like those in the Middle East, Alberta is seeking temporary workers who can work up to two years but they are welcome to attain permanent residence through "Alberta's Immigration Program for Skilled Workers".

Roque also emphasized that all recruitment costs related to the hiring of OFW's under the MOU shall be covered by the employers in Canada.

The employment agency in Canada and the recruitment agency in the Philippines therefore are not allowed to charge any recruitment fees in any form from OFWs bound for Alberta.

Aside from the recruitment of OFWs, Roque pointed out that an important part of the agreement is Human Resource Development wherein the Province of Alberta will invest to set up training opportunities in the Philippines or tie up with schools to train or upgrade the skills of Filipinos.

"Hindi lang tayo padala ng padala, kailangan mag-train din sila dito para hindi naman tayo maubusan ng skilled workers," said Roque.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more