Manitoba has 10,000 jobs for Pinoy workers - DoLE

Manitoba province in Canada would need about 10,000 skilled and professional Filipino workers this year, Labor Secretary Arturo Brion said on Friday after signing a labor agreement with Manitoba Premier Gary Doer. Brion signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will facilitate deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to the Canadian province. “(Based on) my conservative estimate, we can place 10,000 workers this year," Brion told reporters. The labor department signed similar agreements with Saskatchewan province, also in Canada, in late 2006, and with British Columbia two weeks ago. The province of Alberta is said to be working out a similar arrangement. Canada, specifically British Columbia, is one of the new markets for workers from the Philippines. The Philippines currently runs 34 overseas labor offices in Canada. 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. In a press briefing, Premier Doer said Manitoba would need a lot of workers in 2008 and the coming years because of the province’s graying population. “We do have today a potential shortage (of foreign workers) and we have a need for people," Doer said. But according to him, he cannot give an exact figure as to how many Filipinos his province would need this year. Initially, construction workers and oil workers would be needed in Manitoba’s exploration activities, he said. But Brion noted that aside from the 10,000 workers needed in Manitoba, the Canadian government has a 4,000 quota for foreign workers. The MOU provides that both parties should ensure strict rules on the entry of Filipinos into Manitoba - one way to do this is through the pre-departure orientation seminar. It also requires both parties to expedite the approval of selected individuals for employment - this would include efforts to support the job of Canadian office in Manila in the processing of work permits and visas. Both parties also agreed to facilitate linkages between registered Manitoba employers and accredited local recruitment agencies to ensure that all involved parties are informed about jobs specifications. Employers would shoulder the cost of hiring. Under the MOU, job applicants must not have any criminal records or pending divorce case, and that they must undergo medical examinations and must be able to speak satisfactory English. - GMANews.TV