Canada Expands Program to Ease Labor Shortages

January 23, 2008 • Canada's minister of human resources and social development, Monte Solberg, recently announced the expansion of the Expedited Labor Market Opinion pilot project (E-LMO) which will make it faster for employers in British Columbia and Alberta to hire foreign workers in a greater number of specific occupations when there are no Canadian citizens or permanent residents available to fill the positions.

The pilot project originally covered 12 specific occupations, mainly in the health care, hospitality and construction sectors, including crane operators. With the expansion, it will include more occupations in the construction sector, as well as the engineering, maintenance, and manufacturing sectors.

 

"Our government is committed to help businesses who face pressures from labor shortages, which is why we're adding 21 new occupations to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program pilot project, which we announced last September," said Solberg. "The 33 occupations now included in this pilot represent 50 percent of the total volume of labor market opinion applications from employers in B.C. and Alberta."

 

The pilot program will continue to run in B.C. and Alberta until September 2008, allowing eligible employers that need workers in the 33 specific occupations to expedite Labor Market Opinions, which are assessments of the potential impact hiring a foreign worker will have on Canada's labor market.

 

The 33 occupations covered by the newly expanded pilot project, have all been identified as being in high demand. Among the occupations added to the list include construction laborers, heavy-duty equipment mechanics, welders, ironworkers and mechanical engineers.

 

"We anticipate needing to attract 30,000 workers with specific skills to British Columbia each year to help meet our labor and skills shortage challenges," said Colin Hansen, British Columbia minister of economic development. "By expanding the number of occupations included in this pilot project, more employers will now benefit from having better and faster access to the temporary foreign workers they need."

 

"Expanding this pilot to include so many more construction occupations is just more good news for the industry," said Manley McLachlan, president of the British Columbia Construction Association. "Construction projects across British Columbia need workers, and this will help us get those workers in a more timely fashion and keep these projects going."

 

In 2007, the federal government committed an additional $50.5 million over two years to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to reduce processing delays, and to respond more effectively to regional labor and skill shortages, so employers can better meet their human resource needs.