Canada Needs 2K Pinoy Workers Annually
Sep 10, 2019 • 2 min Read
Canada is opening its door to more skilled Filipino workers with the chance of bringing along their families.
Yukon, a Canadian province, will open 2,000 jobs per year in various industries for Filipino skilled workers, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said.
Bello revealed that he was in Canada last month to sign a joint communique with his counterpart in Yukon for the deployment of Filipino skilled workers with an opportunity to bring along their families.
“The joint communique with Yukon Canada contains a request for 2,000 skilled workers every year,” he said.
Yukon is the smallest and westernmost of Canada’s three territories. Its immediate neighbor in the west is Alaska, USA. It has the smallest population of any province or territory in Canada, with a little over 35,000 residents, but it has the largest city in any of the three territories. Bello said there are roughly about 3,000 Filipinos living in the province. “So, everywhere you go, you will see and meet Filipinos. They are very welcomed in the community,” he said.
Bello said he was able to personally meet Filipino workers in Yukon. “We had a firsthand encounter with the Filipinos in Yukon and we are assured that they are well protected, and respected without any class distinction. We heard not a single complaint,” he said.
The labor secretary added that, “Filipinos there look very prosperous, very happy. I talked to every single one of them and they were all happy and well taken care of.”
Bello said he directed Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Administrator Bernard Olalia to fast track the deployment of workers to Yukon, as well as the processing of overseas employment certificate (OEC) of those who will be working in Vancouver and Toronto.
“After we met with our counterparts, I advised Mr. Olalia to liberalize the deployment of overseas foreign workers (OFWs) to Canada,” Bello added.
Interested applicants must be fluent in English, have the related job degree, with appropriate training, and are physically and mentally fit. Bello said Canadians have a special preference for Filipino workers since they are known to be diligent, hardworking, and family-oriented.
“Canadians prefer Filipino workers because of the impression of our quality of work and efficiency. They are also conscious about the family bond, hence, they encourage the workers to bring their family with them in Canada and they will facilitate their entry,” Bello said.
Gilbert Francisco, Jr.
