Canada needs 1 million workers over next 5 years

MANILA, Philippines — Canada needs about a million workers in the next five years to compensate a serious labor shortage as birth rates have fallen and more Canadian youth move to big cities for high-paying jobs in the financial, communication and service jobs and skilled manpower for other sectors in the economy has decreased in the last decades.

The Philippines has entered into bilateral labor agreements with the various provinces of Canada like Ontario, Quebec and Alberta where thousands of overseas Filipino workers have settled since 2004 in the oil-rich area.

Several provinces in Canada have been given permission by Ottawa to hire temporary foreign workers until 2024, and the Filipinos are in a unique advantage of applying for these jobs due to their English-speaking skills.

Recruitment consultant and migration expert Manny Geslani, however, warned that direct hiring by some immigration consultancies and bloggers posting hundreds of jobs should be avoided by aspiring Filipinos who want to land jobs in Canada.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) has accredited several licensed recruitment agencies for thousands of jobs available in Canada, and under the recruitment of these agencies, a placement fee is not allowed.

If a Filipino applies with immigration consultant or an agent blogger of Merchant Capital, Ltd., he will spend no less than $30-50,000 for the services.

Geslani said interested jobseekers may apply with POEA licensed agencies who have been given accredited Canadian job orders where an applicant will only spend for his passport. Even medical exams may be shouldered by the potential employer.