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| The Manila Times Saturday, February 09, 2008 By William B. Depasupil |
| RP, Canada sign 3rd labor export agreement At least 10,000 job opportunities await OFWs in Manitoba this year ___________________ |
| True North Strong and Free! |
| We break this breaking news to report to our fellow Ivatans that former Mayor Manny Viola of Basco, Batanes and the former Basco first lady, along with many Ivatans, are now establishing roots in Alberta - Canada's riches province on a per capita income basis - its economy propelled mainly by the oil sands and the addiction to oil of the world's economies. |
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| O' Canada! |
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| SOME 10,000 jobs await Filipino workers in Canada following the signing on Friday of a memorandum of understanding that will strengthen cooperation between Manitoba and the Philippines in the field of human resource development and employment. The accord was signed by Premier Gary Doer of the province of Manitoba, Canada and Labor Secretary Arturo Brion in behalf of the Philippine government. Brion said the signing of the agreement is an important part of the Manitoba mission in the Philippines, noting this indicates Manitoba's recognition of the capabilities of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). The Manitoba-Philippine accord is the third to be signed by the Department of Labor and Employment for the deployment of Filipino workers to Canada. The department earlier signed a similar agreement with the provinces of Saskatchewan and Vancouver in Canada. A fourth agreement is set to be signed with Alberta before the end of the month. According to Brion, some 10,000 job opportunities await Filipino workers in Manitoba alone this year. That province needs workers like truck drivers, welders, machinists, boilermakers, sheet metal workers, glaziers, pipe fitters, mechanics, plasterers, drywall installers, carpenters, cabinetmakers, bricklayers and stone masons. "Canada needs a lot of workers because of the developments in many of its provinces. The Philippines is lucky enough to have the advantage and was given preference in recognition of the skills and efficiency of Filipino workers," Brion said. Brion disclosed that in the next 10 years, the whole of Canada needs some 1.8 million workers and Filipino workers could get the bigger chunk of the projected manpower needs. Doer, for his part, said that at present, more immigrants come to Manitoba from the Philippines than another country, with Filipino newcomers accounting for more than 25 percent of the province's total immigration, adding that there are now some 50,000 Filipino residents in Manitoba. Doer is in Manila along other members of the Manitoba mission for a series of meetings with several Filipino business and community leaders from February 8 to 12. No need for placement fees Under the agreement, the Labor department and the Government of Manitoba will cooperate on the orderly recruitment and deployment of OFWs to Manitoba, and will act in compliance with the laws and regulations on labor and employment prevailing in both the Philippines and Manitoba. The agreement prohibits recruitment agencies from charging placement fees from workers bound for Canada. Instead, employers will pay the cost of hiring the OFWs. Brion clarified that OFWs who would like to work in Manitoba will still have to apply for relevant vacancies through recruitment agencies authorized to recruit workers. The Labor department and Manitoba will also explore projects to sustain and promote human resource development in the Philippines, with a working committee to be established for that purpose. ___________________________________ ___________________________________ B.C. seals labour deal with Philippines Wed, February 06 2008 The province of British Columbia last week sealed labour deal with the Philippine government to provide hiring priorities to Filipino worker as a solution to address labour shortages derailing economic progress in the province. B.C. Minister of Economic Development Colin Hansen signed a two-year memorandum of understanding with Philippine Labour Secretary Arturo Brion that will give it priority against other jurisdictions in Canada and the world in the bid to attract Filipino workers. Under the agreement, a joint RP-Canada labor committee will be established to lay-out specific guidelines for training, certifying and assessing both Filipino workers and employers in B.C. "The joint RP-Canada labor committee will convene as soon as possible and should have the guidelines ready within three months," says Brion told the Asian Pacific Post. To speed up the process, Brion added that the Philippines will put up a special labor office headed by new labor attaché in Vancouver to "serve as a bridge" between Canadian employers and skilled Filipino workers. The burgeoning labor shortage remains on rise with the on-going massive infrastructure projects around the province as preparations for the 2010 Olympics goes full blast. The Philippines is one of the biggest exporters of skilled and unskilled labor in the world. The country deployed more than 1 million OFWs to 160 host destinations last year, most of them in medical and health, information and technology, and services sectors. "About 8 million Filipinos or 10 percent of the 80 million populations are Overseas Filipino Workers," Brion told members of various Filipino community groups based in Vancouver in a dinner meeting presented by the Philippine Canada Trade Council. The B.C. government announced that the province needs to 30,000 workers per year but "there is no exact target number, in particular, for workers from the Philippines ," Hansen told the media. The specific skills needed would be focused on B.C. companies engaged in hotel and restaurant operations and construction related industries. "We are confident that this agreement will significantly increase the number of Filipino workers in B.C.," says Hansen shortly after signing the agreement. Jose Brillantes, the Philippines ambassador in Ottawa said his officers at the Vancouver Canadian consulates are preparing for the expected influx of Filipino workers this year. Brillantes told the Asian Pacific Post in an earlier interview that Philippine consulate offices in Canada would be conducting "verification process" exercises to ensure that Filipino workers don't fall victim to bogus job offers. "Although such illegal activities are so far not prevalent in Canada , we have to be vigilant to prevent such occurrences," said Brillantes. "The process is also design to prevent Filipino professionals ending up in jobs far below their educational qualifications, skills and experience." Brillantes said thousands of skilled Filipino workers are ready to take advantage of the job opportunities for the 2010 Winter Olympics which will be held in Vancouver, Whistler and nearby cities around Metro Vancouver. British Columbia is now experiencing record employment levels of 63.9 per cent and the shortage of skilled labor is hindering its growth. Several construction projects like the famous Cloverdale Trades and Technology Centre at Kwantlen University has had its opening delayed due to a shortage of trades' people. - Asian Pacific Post |