Alberta companies search world for workers

CALGARY, July 1, 2007/Troy Media Corporation/ -- The repercussions from Alberta’s economic boom are literally being felt worldwide. As companies compete for talent, more and more Alberta companies have broadened their search to look beyond Canada’s borders for potential employees. However, for employers in Calgary, recruiting workers from abroad does not seem to be as high a priority - for the moment.

Attracting and integrating immigrant workers to Alberta were discussed at Building Calgary’s Talent: Practical Solutions for the Labour Force Challenge, a forum held today by Calgary Economic Development (CED). Among the keynote speakers and panel discussions however, only Iris Evans, Alberta’s Minister of Employment, Immigration and Industry discussed the issue of immigrant workers at length.

According to Evans, it’s not enough to simply recruit immigrant workers.

“It’s not just about bringing them over, it’s about helping them settle in,” said Evans, adding that employers have a responsibility to those they bring in from overseas.

The labour shortage, and the subsequent need to recruit foreign workers, has affected some areas of the province more than others, she added.

As Adam Legge, Director of Research and Business Information for CED said: “Three years ago, the unemployment rate in Calgary was five-to-six per cent Now, it’s three per cent. The rate has been cut in half in an extraordinarily short period of time.”

According to Evans, the provincial government doesn’t track immigration within Alberta, but it seems evident that many of those finding work in Calgary may have come from elsewhere in the province, thereby creating a more severe shortage of workers outside the province’s largest city.

This trend is only expected to increase. According to CED, Calgary is forecasted to be the location for over one-third of all new jobs in Alberta, and the city will require over 90,000 new jobs in the next five years, and 158,000 in the next ten years.

“The construction, trades and agricultural industries are the most affected right now,” said Legge. “Obviously, this problem is affecting areas such as, and particularly, Fort McMurray - much more so than Calgary.”

As companies based outside Alberta’s major centres have felt the labour crunch most acutely, there are fewer resources available to help immigrants integrate into society. Evans suggested that more should be done to assist the newest Albertans feel at home.

“I’m sick of knowing that some of these people get served last,” said Evans.

“I’m sick of hearing that we bring the men over to work, but their wives can’t find work (because they don’t speak English), and so eventually they feel they have to leave.”

Unintegrated, alienated immigrants present a dangerous social problem, she added, a lesson Alberta would do well to learn from mistakes made in Europe. Unless more is done to help immigrants feel a part of society, Evans warns of future tensions, and even violence:

“We all saw what happened in England with the bombings. We can’t just bring people in and say, that’s all we need to know.”

Regardless of where the needed workers will come from, there is no question Alberta has more jobs than potential employees: As of June 24, Alberta Economic Development’s website devoted to recruiting foreign workers provided links to 403 employment opportunities with 4,299 jobs available.

To help address the labour crunch, the province signed an agreement with the federal government to expedite the immigration process in May that would allow 25,000 foreign workers into the province annually. This won’t happen overnight, Evans said, but gradually.

“Through the provincial nominee program, we’ll add 2,500 workers this year, 5,000 for 2008 and 2009, and 8,000 by 2010,” Evans told the Forum.

“We take the labour shortage seriously, but government can't do it alone. Our labour shortage strategy is about partnerships,” added Evans.

“CalgaryWorks is working, and our government is pleased to support the initiatives here,” said Evans, who later gave Calgary Economic Development the first $100,000 installment of an eventual $250,000 to support the CalgaryWorks program.

But despite the very real challenges of the labour crunch, some companies have been criticized for recruiting outside the country. In 2006, Canadian Natural Resources Limited told CBC News that despite repeated efforts to recruit Canadians, it had to bring in 500 workers from China to complete a project.

Keywords: Alberta boom, job search, labour shortage, immigration

News Beats: Human Resources, Business