Technology Industry Targeting Canadian Immigration

Technology industry representatives in the province of British Columbia are recruiting overseas for tech jobs. In order to help fill the approximately 10,000 positions which are projected vacant in the province this year, international technology students in the USA who are required to leave the USA are being invited to fairs conducted by the non-profit B.C. Technology Industry Association (BCTIA).

Approximately 400 technology companies participated in the annual TechTalentBC Labour Demand Study, funded by Western Economic Diversification Canada and the B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education. Although most employers recognized that many of their employment needs would derive from immigration, most were not familiar with the various programs in place to facilitate that.

The BCTIA is trying to promote the region as a permanent and long-term destination for skilled workers. The group suggests that the industry's labour shortage is growing at a faster rate than originally predicted.

Provinces Encourage Canadian Immigration

British Columbia and Alberta are presently facing labour shortages that are forcing employers to recruit from abroad. Canada's federal government has enacted new rules to facilitate the admission of certain foreign workers to these provinces. In Alberta alone, there is an expected shortfall of 100,000 workers over the next decade.

Under the Expedited Labour Market Opinion Project, certain occupations are fast tracked so that the process can be reduced to as little as five days, as opposed to over five months required in those provinces at present.

Service Canada has recently added occupations in order to facilitate a total of 33 occupations in British Columbia and Alberta:

Carpenters (Journeyman/Woman)
Civil Engineers
Commercial Janitors, Caretakers
Construction Labourers
Crane Operators(Journeyman/Woman)
Delivery Drivers
Dental Technicians
Electrical & Electronics Engineers
Food and Beverage Servers
Food Counter Attendants
Food Service Supervisors
Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics
Hotel Front Desk Clerks
Hotel and Hospitality Room Attendants
Industrial Electricians
Industrial Meat Cutters
Ironworkers
Manufacturing & Processing Labourers
Mechanical Engineers
Mechanical Engineering Technologists
Petroleum Engineers
Pharmacists
Registered Nurses
Residential Cleaning and Support Workers
Retail Salespersons and Sales Clerks
Roofers
Ski and Snowboard Instructors
Specialized Cleaners
Steamfitters, Pipefitters
Surveyor Helpers
Tour and Travel Guides
Welders
Machinists

Provinces seeking more Canadian immigration

The western Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Saskatchewan have formed committees to solve the ongoing issues of labour shortages. The provinces are seeking ways to facilitate permanent and temporary immigration to the provinces and to rural destinations therein.

The B.C. Chamber of Commerce is seeking ways to facilitate the process of recruiting skilled workers from outside Canada. Employers interviewed by the association complain that the process is too difficult. In Saskatchewan, a conference has been created for local employers in order to plot out strategies to attract more immigrants to the province.