Alberta praises new foreign-worker rules

[heavyd]

Alberta praises new foreign-worker rules

BILL CURRY AND JOSH WINGROVE

Canadian companies that want to bring in highly skilled foreign workers temporarily will be able to do so faster and pay them less under new federal immigration rules aimed at addressing the country’s persistent labour shortages.

In areas of the country that are booming economically – particularly Alberta – companies are complaining about the lack of skilled workers, a problem that Ottawa has identified as one of Canada’s biggest policy challenges. Of 190,000 temporary foreign workers who entered Canada last year, 25,500 went to Alberta.? Businesses that use the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, which allows employers to bring in workers if they can prove they have advertised the jobs locally without success, say they are relieved that it will become less cumbersome, but critics worry the changes will lead to lower wages across the country.

Under the new rules, Ottawa promises to respond to employer requests for highly skilled workers within 10 days, instead of the 12 to 14 weeks it currently takes to get a Labour Market Opinion – a government approval that’s one major step in bringing a worker into Canada.

Also, previous rules required foreign workers to receive the “average wage” paid to Canadian workers in the same region, but the new rules will allow employers to pay up to 15 per cent less than that average wage.? ?In an interview, Human Resources Minster Diane Finley said Canada’s skills shortages mean there will be more temporary foreign workers coming to Canada regardless of the latest changes.?

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http://www.southasiamail.com/news.php?id=104524

[Lance in Manassas]

You know they are talking about someplace else when they have labour shortages.

[Zumba]

What ever happened to companies training their own people, promoting from within, and bringing in new employees to start at the unskilled level to begin their own climb?

[TrainWrk]

Originally Posted by Zumba

What ever happened to companies training their own people, promoting from within, and bringing in new employees to start at the unskilled level to begin their own climb?

Some people coming in don't believe they are unskilled and they should be paid top dollar right away.

Schools tend to try and steer students towards the University path and talk down about the Trades. So if less people go into the trades then there are less skilled workers.

I bet some skilled people would love to relocate to the exciting locale of Fort McMurray for work, but the cost to uproot your family to move or the high cost of living once you get there is a huge problem...and should a company pay to move a whole family across the country . If they do pay...is it 100%, 50%, 25% of the costs...is the cost recoverable if you quit because you hate it there or if you fail a drug test, etc. You may get good money to sell your house in Nova Scotia, but that good money might only get you a trailer in Fort Mac. Is it worth it?

[Brian in Indy]

Originally Posted by Zumba

What ever happened to companies training their own people, promoting from within, and bringing in new employees to start at the unskilled level to begin their own climb?

Are you going to hire a novice to fix your car, or are you going to hire a certified mechanic?

I know that the corralary isn't exact, but the principle is there. Why would you spend the time and money to train someone, when you can hire a someone who can produce on day one.

I guess one thing I wonder about is why would the immagrants take less money if they're legal?

[BubnTX]

So they are now making it legal for companies to pay foreign born workers less than natural citizens? That sounds like an Amercian concept.

[Brian in Indy]

Originally Posted by BubnTX

So they are now making it legal for companies to pay foreign born workers less than natural citizens? That sounds like an Amercian concept.

I don't think the law says they have, just that they can pay them less than the going average. I'm just curious on why a skilled worker would take less?

[TrainWrk]

Originally Posted by Brian in Indy

I don't think the law says they have, just that they can pay them less than the going average. I'm just curious on why a skilled worker would take less?

Say the person is certified in some sought after trade...but they are working in some god foresaken place like Indiana....sorry meant India Could the less than average wage in Alberta still be 100x better than their wage in India?

[Zumba]

100X better, and then there is the infrastructure...housing,water, sewage treatment, HEALTH-CARE
AND,OMG, do our new Canadians ever love that! They put tremendous pressure on that!

They love everything pretty much.

Then they proceed to bringing their competitiveness, always offering more for less than the next guy.

Quality isn't always a consideration, just price. And then the race to the bottom is on in earnest!
Until, no one is making anything more than a subsistence level...if that.

Safety...of course, we always look to India as leaders in health and safety.

Trains, highways, vehicles of all description, smooth-running, well maintained, safe and comfortable, right?

It's not a stretch to say that we do not have even close to similar approaches to matters of safety and quality. To be certified in anything, coming from India or even that area, does not mean that person will function to North American standards. Most likely, they will bring with themselves, attitudes, and approaches, that, while acceptable culturally where they come from, do not work here.

It's been tried, especially in the trucking industry, where it's been a 50/50 problem/solution

Employers love the 'do anything for less approach', everyone else hates them for driving down hard won wage gains.

A hard-to-pin-down, approach to safety, has resulted in many seriously injured and dead. They are too willing to do things that they are not prepared for...and where they come from, safety is routinely ignored. They are usually too timid to say NO when they should. And it costs everyone LARGE!

[TrainWrk]

For the certifed tradesmen...they better be supervised and following provincial codes... or the company is liable.

Now if you are talking trucking...not my expertise ( I do have a class 1 though), there is to much room for fraud and people just pencil whipping the passing grades for the licence (happened in Vancouver area a couple of years ago)