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Omar Yaqub

http://www.employment.alberta.ca/documents/RRM/RRM-BI-mature-workers.pdf - 0 views

www.employment.alberta.ca/...RRM-BI-mature-workers.pdf

employment alberta seniors

shared by Omar Yaqub on 27 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • Omar Yaqub on 27 Apr 11
     
    With the workforce aging in Alberta and across Canada, labour force participation by mature workers is attracting increased attention. As people live longer, healthier lives, many wish to stay active in the workforce or to volunteer in their communities. Mature workers have developed valuable skills and abilities and a lifetime of knowledge and work experience.  At issue is not only the need for increased labour supply, but how to minimize the loss of experience, corporate memory, leadership and mentorship that can occur when people retire. Without taking action now to address the impacts of an aging workforce, there will be a significant decline in Alberta's labour supply. In 2006, the Government of Alberta acknowledged the need to increase the labour force participation of mature workers in its comprehensive labour force strategy, Building and Educating Tomorrow's Workforce (BETW). Between October 2007 and February 2008 an online public consultation on Alberta's aging workforce gathered input from Albertans on their priorities, issues and experience with an aging workforce. Following this, government has developed an action plan to support increased labour force participation of mature workers. The action plan is based on the following assumptions: * With the aging population, increasing mature worker labour force participationmay be important for improving productivity and encouraging economic growth.* Mature workers have identifiable work-related needs, such as the need forincreased flexibility, which are not being fully addressed. * Market forces and employer practices will have a positive influence on increasingthe workforce participation of mature workers; however, policy changes may be necessary to remove some barriers and to sustain strong labour market participation. Engaging the Mature Worker: An Action Plan for Alberta identifies four overarching goals to support mature workers in the labour force.
Omar Yaqub

CCLB - 0 views

www.language.ca/display_page.asp

language

shared by Omar Yaqub on 10 May 12 - No Cached
  • Intermediate Proficiency (Stage II - CLB Levels 5-8) represents the range of abilities which enable a learner to participate more fully in social, educational, and work-related settings. The contexts in which English is used are less familiar and predictable and the proficiencies demonstrated by learners enable them to function more independently. Competencies acquired in this stage may enable a learner to move beyond the ESL classroom into new opportunities. Many learners, at the end of Stage II, are ready for post-secondary academic programs.
  • Basic Proficiency (Stage I - CLB Levels 1-4) is the range of abilities needed to communicate in common and predictable settings to meet basic needs and to carry out everyday activities. A curriculum aligned to the Benchmarks and targeting the language proficiencies of stage 1 learners would focus on topics of immediate personal relevance.
  • Omar Yaqub on 10 May 12
     
    Intermediate Proficiency (Stage II - CLB Levels 5-8) represents the range of abilities which enable a learner to participate more fully in social, educational, and work-related settings. The contexts in which English is used are less familiar and predictable and the proficiencies demonstrated by learners enable them to function more independently. Competencies acquired in this stage may enable a learner to move beyond the ESL classroom into new opportunities. Many learners, at the end of Stage II, are ready for post-secondary academic programs.
Omar Yaqub

Government of Alberta - 0 views

alberta.ca/...goaBrowse.cfm

government alberta work

shared by Omar Yaqub on 06 Dec 10 - No Cached
  • Workforce Participation Organizational Unit Name Phone Title Morris, Laurette Director Workforce Participation Employment and Immigration 12th fl Seventh Street Plaza 10030 - 107 Street Edmonton, AB T5J 3E4 Phone: 780 644-4881 Fax: 780 422-6324 E-mail: laurette.m.morris@gov.ab.ca .blockML{display:block; padding: 19px; width: 400px; position: absolute; background-color:White; height:45px; } .blockML{display:block; width: 400px; background-color:White; height:125px; } .none{display:none;} .subscribe{font:27em;} .spc{padding: 0 0 0 8px; } .hideML {display:none} .printML {display:block; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em; } Mail Label Laurette MorrisDirectorWorkforce Participation Employment and Immigration 12th fl Seventh Street Plaza 10030 - 107 Street Edmonton, AB T5J 3E4 view map
Omar Yaqub

Edmonton Chamber of Commerce - 0 views

www.edmontonchamber.com/strategicpriorities.aspx

Work alberta edmonton

shared by Omar Yaqub on 13 May 11 - No Cached
  • To support the development of a robust all-inclusive labour market in the Edmonton region that fosters skill development and capacity building, and attracts a diverse young workforce eager to participate in the Edmonton region and northern economies on a long-term basis
  • Omar Yaqub on 13 May 11
     
    To support the development of a robust all-inclusive labour market in the Edmonton region that fosters skill development and capacity building, and attracts a diverse young workforce eager to participate in the Edmonton region and northern economies on a long-term basis.  
Omar Yaqub

GOVERNMENT OF SASKATCHEWAN SUPPORTS LABOUR RECRUITMENT MISSION TO IRELAND - Government ... - 0 views

gov.sk.ca/news

trades work government recruitment

shared by Omar Yaqub on 26 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • GOVERNMENT OF SASKATCHEWAN SUPPORTS LABOUR RECRUITMENT MISSION TO IRELAND Premier Brad Wall and Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration Minister Rob Norris will participate in a labour recruitment mission to Ireland in March 2012. The delegation will be comprised of Saskatchewan employers and supported by the Government of Saskatchewan. Immigration staff will support employers who are actively making job offers in Ireland at career fairs in Dublin (March 3-4) and Cork (March 7) where more than 9,000 qualified candidates in fields including trades and construction, engineering and health sciences are expected to attend. "The New Saskatchewan offers jobs, a high quality of life, and a welcoming environment to newcomers," Wall said. "We look forward to telling our story in Ireland. Immigration is helping sustain our economic momentum and enriching our cultural diversity." "There is a tremendous pool of qualified people in Ireland who are actively seeking opportunities abroad," Norris said. "The Irish Economic and Social Research Institute estimates 75,000 Irish are expected to emigrate in 2012 as unemployment in the country continues to rise. This mission will connect Saskatchewan employers with qualified candidates who are seeking to emigrate." Twenty-two employers have committed to participating in the mission with more than 275 vacancies on offer. Candidates who receive an offer of employment will work with immigration officers to apply to the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP). "With a record of economic growth, and one of the lowest unemployment rates in Canada, Saskatchewan is a place of opportunity," Norris said. "And we welcome these newcomers to discover the Saskatchewan advantage." -30- For more information, contact: Richelle Bourgoin Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration Regina Phone: 306-787-8153 Email: richelle.bourgoin@gov.sk.ca
Omar Yaqub

screen.io | Participation Company - 0 views

www.screen.io/en

participation

shared by Omar Yaqub on 05 Mar 12 - No Cached
  • Omar Yaqub on 05 Mar 12
     
    interactive presentations polling polls audience feedback 
Omar Yaqub

Reports || EEDC 2007 annual report - 0 views

www.edmonton.com/...Annual_Report_2007.pdf

eedc work trends

shared by Omar Yaqub on 01 Dec 10 - No Cached
  • Omar Yaqub on 01 Dec 10
     
    Workforce Expansion and ImprovementThe shortage of skilled workers is unquestionably one of themost important challenges faced by Edmonton industry. Moreover,demographic forecasts indicate that today's acute labour shortageswill only become worse without strategic initiatives to grow ourworkforce through immigration and increased participation ratesfrom under-employed segments of society. Increased productivityand innovation within organizations are also part of the long-termsolution.EEDC's Edmonton Workforce Connection program continues tostrategically implement practical initiatives, in conjunction withindustry and other levels of government, to address regionallabour challenges. These initiatives will continue to be focused onbusiness development (primarily through improved productivityand innovation), labour retention and labour attraction.
Omar Yaqub

Reports || EEDC 2009 annual report - 0 views

www.edmonton.com/...EEDC_AR_Web2.pdf

eedc work trends

shared by Omar Yaqub on 01 Dec 10 - No Cached
  • Omar Yaqub on 01 Dec 10
     
    WorkforceEEDC's workforce development program continued forits fourth year in 2009. With industry, education andgovernment partners, EEDC addressed regional labourchallenges and helped to plan for anticipated increases in thedemand for skilled labour in 2010. The program supportedthe Edmonton Region Immigrant Employment Council, whichhelps immigrants gain experience working in Canada andprovides tools to help them find meaningful employment.Workforce development created opportunities for businessesand workers to connect through its enhanced web presenceat edmonton.com. The site informs employees aboutliving, working and educational opportunities in Edmonton.Employers were connected with programs designed toassist under-employed and unemployed segments of thelocal workforce. To address higher rates of unemployment,information was provided on how to access employmentopportunities in the Edmonton region. Productivity & Innovation Productivity improvements within the Edmonton regioncontinue to be a major focus for EEDC. Manufacturersand producers are experiencing increased internationalcompetition. With partners including the Government ofAlberta, we offer industry the opportunity to reviewbusiness processes, product improvements, evaluatenew markets, reinvent business models and explore newtechnological innovations.EEDC was actively involved in producing Reaching NewMarkets, a seminar that provided insights into new waysof growing business during challenging times. As part of aleadership development series, EEDC sponsored At the Speedof Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey at the Shaw ConferenceCentre in June. EEDC co-ordinated two best practicesmissions to Ontario in which corporate participants wereexposed to world-class manufacturers that have made greatstrides in productivity improvements.EEDC supported the heavy oil industry's National Buyer/SellerForum, which attracted 650 delegates from around the world,providing local companies the opportunity to sell into thein
Omar Yaqub

ICCI: Eligible Activities and Expenses - 0 views

www.international.gc.ca/...support-appui.aspx

government funding

shared by Omar Yaqub on 28 Jun 11 - No Cached
  • ICCI supports initiatives that promote and sustain foreign direct investment in Canadian communities.
  • program assists communities in developing the tools needed to attract and retain investment.
  • Typically, a community begins by undertaking basic research to determine its strengths, identify key sectors, and determine the level of investment already located in its territory
  • ...21 more annotations...
  • Investment training for economic development staff
  • Conducting business retention and expansion research
  • Identifying investment strengths and local assets
  • Developing a community profile to show potential investor
  • Developing and implementing a targeted strategy for encouraging foreign investment
  • Developing and implementing a targeted strategy for retaining and expanding existing foreign investments
  • Developing or substantially upgrading websites for foreign direct investment purposes
  • Implementing strategies to retain or expand the investment of foreign affiliates already located in Canada
  • Eligible Expenses
  • Research and studies: identification of target corporations, comparative competitive analyses, development of business cases, business retention and expansion studies, etc.
  • Economic data: collection of community and economic data for investment profiles, etc.
  • Strategic FDI planning: facilitators, consultant costs, community consultations, development of strategic plans.
  • Website development: development and/or major redesign, addition of significant architecture and functionality.
  • Translation: translation of documents or website content into either one of Canada’s official languages or foreign languages;
  • Promotional materials (print or electronic): design and layout only (printing costs and the pressing of CDs and DVDs are not eligible).
  • Advertising: design and layout.
  • Investment Training including EDAC annual conference: courses as part of the community’s investment attraction and retention strategy for employees of the Community.
  • Consultants/contractors.
  • Ineligible ExpensesResearch activities not associated with investment attraction, retention and expansion. Collection or purchase of statistical data not associated with investment attraction, retention or expansion activities. Development of training courses/modules. Consultants hired to facilitate a training session. Costs associated with hiring consultants to develop ICCI applications. Regular website maintenance and updating web content, site hosting, software licensing, Corporate logo design, costs of printing, pressing CDs, or DVDs, and recording videocassettes. All give-aways: gifts, events/shows/concerts tickets, logo items, cups, mugs, pens, etc. Design and layout of non-investment ads (promoting tourism, for example), cost of ad placement in any media.
  • Travel costs incurred by applicants, partners or consultants not related to training; travel costs incurred by potential investors. Taxes: GST, PST, HST, VAT or taxes applied by foreign governments. Hospitality: Cost of meals or alcohol; lodging; clothing and uniforms; and all give-aways. Trade show/conference participation:  registration fees at international trade shows or conferences  (in Canada and abroad), booth design / purchase / assembly and shipping, design of promotional material specifically for a trade show, overhead costs such as pre-show mailing, stationery and long distance phone calls, research to target companies at a trade show, consultant costs for organizing outgoing missions (including training participants); consultant costs to develop target business cases for follow up with potential investors after show; cost of developing an advertisement (design and layout) for show specific publications. Activities or projects  related to attracting infrastructure for tourism and motion picture industries, e.g: to develop ski resorts, theme parks and film production facilities.
  • Capital costs: infrastructure development, capital expenditures to acquire or enhance assets, software licenses, electronics (computers, fax, machines, digital cameras, etc.), demonstration aids. Capital costs include the direct costs of acquisition, construction, expansion, modification, conversion, transportation, installation and insurance (during construction) of fixed assets, as well as the cost of licensing and franchising fees. Overhead costs: Postage, including postage for direct mail campaigns; phone; office space rental; photocopying. Salaries and benefits of personnel. Miscellaneous: activities to attract investment from inside Canada; costs incurred before the application’s approval date; activities for which one or more partners expect to receive compensation in the form of a commission, finder’s fee, or other form of remuneration; promotion activities related to properties or business investment in which one or more partners receive a personal or corporation financial gain.
Omar Yaqub

VI. Lessons for Ontario (and Others) - 0 views

www.lco-cdo.org/rable-workers-baxter-sectionVI

work immigrants

shared by Omar Yaqub on 15 Mar 12 - No Cached
  • Employer-driven recruitment and nominee selection processes place serious limitations on the opportunities to address foreign workers’ employment-related insecurities through the PNPs
  • PNPs act less as a “response” to the problems of temporary status and more as a extension of existing trends
  • Manitoba have innovated significant legislative reforms and promoted third-party participation in order to correct some of these imbalances, Ontario should also consider alternative models for provincial economic immigration, with the overarching goal being to reduce employers’ reliance on TFWPs and to put decision-making power back into the public hands.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • In jurisdictions where PNPs are likely to remain employer-driven, provincial and federal governments should work together to ensure strong regulatory standards and to take the lead in settlement service provision
Omar Yaqub

III. Overview of the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) - 0 views

www.lco-cdo.org/...able-workers-baxter-sectionIII

work immigrants

shared by Omar Yaqub on 15 Mar 12 - No Cached
  • According to all PNP agreements signed to date, provincial governments hold exclusive authority to establish program criteria, nomination quotas, and administrative schemes, leaving the federal government with a limited role to monitor basic admissibility requirements under the IRPA and to negotiate evaluation processes for each provincial program. The language of the framework agreements indicates unequivocally that these programs are designed for the provinces to occupy maximum jurisdictional space.
  • At the level of program design, current PNP agreements enable the provinces to establish their own criteria for making nominations and to set target numbers for nominees from year to year.
  • Most provinces have created distinct sub-categories or streams in their PNPs based on skill level, family statues, or planned business development, and sometimes restrict these to specific industries and occupations.
  • ...15 more annotations...
  • All existing PNP streams for lower-skilled workers require nominees to first become temporary workers admitted into the province through one of the federal TFWP streams and to work under a temporary permit for a minimum time period before they are eligible to apply as a nominee (6 and 9 months are common). Other program steams for higher-skilled workers allow nominees to be recruited form outside Canada and to arrive directly without first applying through the TFWPs.[lx]
  • A second common feature of PNPs is that they, like the TFWPs, are essentially employer-driven and thus reflect strongly the interests and demands of influential private actors.  Employers directly generate the demand for foreign workers, sometimes participate actively in developing specific PNPs, and invariably exert a high degree of practical control over nominee recruitment and selection processes.
  • PNPs to provide access to permanent immigrants whose employment skills are specifically selected to meet these labour requirements is clearly attractive to businesses. PNP immigration processes also tend to be much faster compared to those at the federal level, closing the sometimes-lengthy gap in time between the point at which employers identify labour needs and the point when workers are actually available to fill these positions. PNPs may also allow employers to bypass the federal LMO requirements under certain conditions, which is significant since employers have expressed some frustrations with the time and resources they need to devote to fulfill these requirements.[lxv]
  • [t]he PNP and the TFW Program are popular with some larger employers but often prove too costly for smaller ones to adopt.”[lxvi] Large businesses can more easily afford the significant administrative costs that can attach to recruiting, transporting, re-settling, and training nominees, such that the demands of these enterprises are most likely to dominate nominee programs
  • recent example, Maple Leaf Foods spent an estimated $7,000 per worker to employ individuals in their Brandon, Manitoba processing plant, bringing them to Canada initially through a TFWP and subsequently nominating them for permanent residency through the Manitoba PNP.[lxvii]
  • the federal-provincial agreements on immigration with Ontario and Alberta contain annexes that provide provincial governments and employers with greater flexibility in assessing labour market needs, without requiring input from HRSDC in the form of an LMO
  • Ontario and Alberta annexes explicitly recognize that pursuant to s. 204(c) of the IRPR, CIC is authorized to issue a temporary work permit without requiring a prospective employer to seek an LMO if requested to do so by the province
  • Under these sub-agreements, Ontario and Alberta agree to establish procedures and criteria to govern this authority, and to provide annual estimates of the number of temporary work permits issued by this route
  • A few critics of the TFWPs and PNPs in Canada have pointed out the overriding problem of employer control both in the policy-setting realm and in the actual workplace. Their criticisms raise concerns about effects on national immigration policy, on labour protection policies, on the realization of actual protections for vulnerable workers, or as some combination of these
  • [s]ome argue that letting employers choose who enters is against all the principles that have shaped Canada as an immigration country
  • Alboim and Maytree target the devolution of decision-making and program development from the federal government to the provinces and private interests, resulting in fragmentation of immigration priorities and procedures
  • Others have focused specifically on the fact the PNPs bind foreign workers closely to employers, exacerbating rather than relieving some of the real insecurities that figure prominently in the TFWPs
  • Some proponents of existing PNP models have countered that the problems associated with employer control over economic immigration are overstated and maintain that market-based incentives will effectively penalize abusive employers. These parties believe that economic immigrants will be attracted to responsible employers, such that employers will have adequate incentives to place voluntary restraints on formal and informal bargaining power.
  • But this argument rests on the dubious assumption that information about employer practices is readily available and that it will be accessible by temporary foreign workers – who, as discussed below, face significant barriers related to language, education, cultural, and access to support services. Without this information, so-called “reputation effects” are unlikely to place serious restraints on employers’ actions
  • Overall, it is generally clear that implicit standards of self-regulation fall well below what is necessary to protect workers, particularly in light of the broad employer discretion now inherent in existing PNP models. The main questions, taken up in the following section, are about what aspects of nominee program design premised on this discretion actually contribute to workers’ insecurities and about whether responses by governments and third-party actors can be considered sufficient to meet the resulting concerns.
Omar Yaqub

IV. Evaluating the Nominee Programs: Institutional Design and Practice - 0 views

www.lco-cdo.org/rable-workers-baxter-sectionIV

work immigrants

shared by Omar Yaqub on 15 Mar 12 - No Cached
  • Alberta’s “semi-skilled” nominee stream for lower-skilled workers – a hodgepodge of narrow, sector-specific pathways – currently makes temporary foreign workers in the food and beverage processing, hotel and lodging, manufacturing, trucking, and foodservice sectors eligible for nomination.[
  • Employers and workers in these sectors follow a relatively complex application process.[xcii] First, employers specify the number of nominations they intend to make, and outline the job description and requirements, settlement and retention plans, and any sector-specific requirements to the provincial government. This process allocates a specific number of nominations to each employer directly, limiting the maximum number of nominations according to sector.[xciii] Once allocations are made, employers are eligible to select foreign workers who meet the basic education and worker experience requirements for nomination.
  • In Alberta, lower-skilled foreign workers must be employed with the nominating employer for a minimum period of six months before they are eligible for nomination. Other requirements for education and experience in workers’ home countries vary across sectors. After nominated workers have been approved as nominees by the province, they apply CIC for permanent residency status.
  • ...10 more annotations...
  • process of allocating nominations to employers before they select individual nominees disadvantages workers in at least two ways. First, it further discourages workers from accessing existing employment protections such as minimum employment standards in the face of employer abuses, by giving employers sole discretion to “reward” workers with nominations. Given that these nominations represent a direct path to permanent residence status in Canada, they are obviously extremely valuable to workers. As Yessy Byl, the Alberta Federation of Labour’s Temporary Foreign Worker Advocate, points out, some employers “use this program as a further excuse to exploit workers who desperately want to immigrate.
  • Many dangle the possibility of nomination in the AINP to ensure acquiescence to unreasonable requests such as unpaid work, additional work, etc.”[xcvi] Second, by limiting the number of allocations made to each employer, this system is likely to increase competition among workers for nominations and may even discourage employers from participating in the nominee program altogether because they regard it as arbitrary and unfair.
  • MPNP requires employers to notify temporary foreign workers, within their initial six months of work, that the employer intends to nominate them through the MPNP. This requirement has the advantage of minimizing worker uncertainty about their future status while they are still ineligible for nomination under provincial requirements.
  • further reform might be for the province to remove the six-month work requirement, making foreign workers eligible for nomination as soon as they begin work in Canada. This would at least provide the opportunity to do away with the temporary “trial period”, during which workers are arguably most vulnerable. Such a reform, however, may also serve to increase employer control ever further and calls into question the overall legitimacy of a program that gives private actors such broad scope to nominate immigrants without even basic requirements to prove their bona fides. Realistically, these challenges point to the inherent inadequacy of the TFWPs as an entry point for permanent economic immigration through an employer-driven nominee program. Palliative reforms that fail to recognize underlying problems of regulatory devolution and resulting institutional mismatch are unlikely to generate the kinds of outcomes for vulnerable foreign workers that fairness and sound economic policy-making are likely to demand.
  • employer beliefs that individuals from certain countries of origin are better able to perform this or that job create racialized profiles within particular sectors and industries.
  • Left to the sole discretion of employers, the effects of nominee selection processes in this area will likely be to ossify and entrench aspects of race and gender discrimination as part of Canada’s economic immigration system.
  • Employers in Manitoba, for example, have been active both in lobbying for an expanded nominee program and in developing surrounding institutions and services. 
  • developed a network of services for foreign workers that have been widely hailed as successful innovations – at least in those workplaces and urban environments where workers are able to take advantage of them.
  • Alberta’s nominee program requires employers to provide workers with in-house language training services or to arrange for provision by a third party. Likewise, the AINP obligates employers in most streams to design an accommodation and settlement plan for nominees that “demonstrate employer support and assistance toward successful integration of the workforce, community and society integration.”[cvi] While these seemingly modest requirements may appear to be positive developments in the direction of improving workers’ security and likelihood of successful settlement, the implied trend is clearly toward the devolution of support services away from the provincial government and toward private actors, the effects of which remain largely unevaluated.
  • There are two specific criticisms directed at this aspect of regulatory devolution. One is that obliging employers to provide essential settlement services further skews barging power to the disadvantage of workers by enmeshing their personal and family lives even more closely with authoritative decision-making processes undertaken by their employers. Jenna Hennebry has pointed out that:
Omar Yaqub

Engineers Canada - 0 views

www.engineerscanada.ca/...pr_mobility_1.cfm

engineers canada work immigrants

shared by Omar Yaqub on 23 Feb 12 - No Cached
  • Engineers Canada has also negotiated a recognition agreement on full professional practice, the NAFTA Mutual Recognition Document, to support greater mobility for engineers from Canada, Texas and Mexico, and has developed a national register of qualified Canadian engineers as part of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Engineer Register initiative. An implementation protocol to implement the NAFTA document is currently being developed. The APEC Register initiative sets out criteria for the creation of national registers of qualified engineers, which would facilitate the negotiation of bilateral mobility agreements between participating signatories.
Omar Yaqub

Maytree » Recommendations for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program - 0 views

maytree.com/...temporary-foreign-worker.html

policy immigration work

shared by Omar Yaqub on 06 Mar 12 - No Cached
  • Recommendation #1: Eliminate the Low Skill Pilot Project for temporary foreign workers.
  • increase the pool of workers to fill low-skilled jobs on an ongoing basis, employers should make these jobs more attractive to people already in Canada, whether immigrants or Canadian born. In addition, Citizenship and Immigration Canada should increase family class and refugee admissions to provide more labour force participants who, as permanent residents, have rights and access to services to prevent exploitation. Increasing points in the Federal Skilled Worker Program for demand occupations, the trades, and validated job offers will also broaden the pool of workers
  • Recommendation #2: Monitor recruitment and working conditions of temporary foreign workers.
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • workplace safety and employment standards come under provincial jurisdiction, temporary foreign workers are a federal responsibility. The federal government should therefore provide leadership and support to provinces to help them monitor and enforce the working conditions of temporary foreign workers
  • egulate recruitment agencies
  • #3: Strengthen the “labour market opinion” process.
  • Implement a monitoring system to follow up on employers who were issued positive labour market opinions to ensure the proper treatment of temporary workers and others in the workplace.
  • Between 2005 and 2008 there was a 5.7% decline in permanent residents (from 262,241 in 2005 to 247,202 in 2008) and a 37.6% increase in temporary entrants (190,724 students and temporary workers entered Canada in 2005, and 272,520 entered in 2008).
  • Experience in other countries has demonstrated that similar “temporary guest worker” programs have resulted in the creation of an undocumented underclass and its accompanying difficulties.
Omar Yaqub

Canadian immigrants labour shortage - 0 views

www.canadianimmigrant.ca/...779

canadian work immigrants

shared by Omar Yaqub on 26 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • The labour shortage, particularly in industries like construction, means there are jobs that are not getting filled, while many immigrants are not getting jobs. Seems like it’s our immigration system that really needs the help
  • He was only half-kidding. Industries like construction, oil and gas, energy, transportation and manufacturing are reeling from a lack of unskilled labourers and skilled workers and tradespeople (i.e., welders, plumbers, electricians, sheet metal workers).
  • We’ve hired a couple of recent immigrants and they’ve worked out very well,” she adds. “It is production work so there is not a huge amount of communication involved, so it’s okay if their English isn’t yet the greatest.”
  • ...14 more annotations...
  • Hiring temporary foreign workers has crossed her mind, but the thought of looking into the process overwhelms her. “It seems to have a lot of government red tape. We’ve all got so much on our plates right now, we’re all maxed out.”
  • Adding to that is the fact that hiring temporary foreign workers is inherently a short-term solution for a problem that has far-reaching effects. Even if the construction boom tapers off after 2010, the baby boomers will still be in retiring, and Canadians still won’t be making more babies, so it seems inevitable that the issue of worker shortages will keep arising
  • ratio of residents aged 65 and over to those of traditional working age (18–64) will rise from 20 per cent in 2006 to 46 per cent in 2050.
  • report by the Canadian Bar Association says temporary foreign workers are not meeting the needs of labour-hungry employers, because time is spent getting the person trained on the job, particularly where safety is concerned, and just when they are up to speed, employers have to start all over again with new workers.
  • Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) President Gil McGowan says the AFL supports more permanent immigration to Canada. “Bringing in temporary workers, who are very vulnerable to abuse and exploitation is no solution,”
  • “Immigration policy should be about building a stronger society, not about importing cheap labour to serve the short-term needs of employers.”
  • Canadian Construction Association (CCA) is advocating for an expanded temporary foreign workers program for the construction industry, it also recognizes it can’t be the sole solution.
  • labour crisis has been like a mirror held up to the immigration system, reflecting its many flaws. Thanks to the shortsighted “points” system to immigration sales offices that falsely “recruit” immigrant professionals (see Publisher’s Note on page 3), the Canadian immigration system has lost sight of what Canada needs, how Canada works, and how to make immigration policies sophisticated and flexible enough to reflect these things.
  • In B.C., the provincial government is trying to do its part to fill its labour gap, partly by subsidizing the new Skills Connect for Immigrants programs that help skilled immigrants enter positions equivalent to their qualifications in such hot industries as construction, transportation, energy and tourism.
  • Six service providers have been chosen to administer the program, including ASPECT, Back in Motion, Camosun College, Douglas College, Multicultural Helping House Society and Surrey Delta Immigrant Services Society (SDISS).
  • “If immigrants move to B.C. to work in a field where there is a shortage, then we need to help them get their training and credentials recognized [through these programs],” says Minister of Economic Development Colin Hansen
  • Number 1 is career assessment, which includes credential and language evaluations. Number 2 is skills enhancement services. “For example, if a participant wants to go into CAD construction and wants to top up his training, we can help arrange that,” she says. Number 3 is a workplace practicum, which allows them to get a little Canadian experience.
  • “Although it’s not the end focus of our Arrive B.C. program, the largest gap is labourers,”
  • Proactive Personnel (www.proactivepersonnel.ca).
  • Omar Yaqub on 26 Apr 11
     
    The labour shortage, particularly in industries like construction, means there are jobs that are not getting filled, while many immigrants are not getting jobs. Seems like it's our immigration system that really needs the help
Omar Yaqub

Where Are the Next Cities?| young knowledge workers, Next Generation Consulting, NGC | ... - 0 views

www.areadevelopment.com/...cities-knowledge-workers.shtml

qualityoflife

shared by Omar Yaqub on 27 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • What is a Next City™? Next Cities™ are places with the assets and amenities that attract and retain a young, educated work force. They have bustling city centers, walkable neighborhoods, diverse career opportunities, and vibrant art and music scenes. In 2008, NGC surveyed young professionals in eight cities. These interviews and focus groups with members of the next generation revealed that they choose where to live based on the following seven indexes, listed in order of importance:1. Cost of Lifestyle: Young professionals are just getting started in their careers, and affordability is key. This index includes variables in the national cost of living index, which encompasses a roof over head, food on the table, clothes on the back, and a warm bed at night. 2. Earning: High school guidance counselors tell students that they’ll have between nine and eleven careers in their lifetime. The earning index measures the diversity of employment opportunities, the percentage of jobs in the knowledge-based sector, and average household income.
  • 3. Vitality: How “healthy” is a city? This index measures air and water quality, green space, and a city’s overall health (e.g., obesity, life expectancy, etc.). 4. After Hours: There’s more to life than work. This index counts the places to go and things to do after work and on weekends. 5. Learning: Is the city committed to high quality education for all of its citizens? This index includes measurements related to educational opportunities and expenditures, educational attainment, and accessibility of Wi-Fi hotspots. 6. Around Town: How easy is it to get to where you want to go in a city? This index measures a city’s walkability, airport activity, commute times, and mass transit opportunities. 7. Social Capital: Great talent comes in every race, creed, and color. This index accounts for how open, safe, and accessible your city is to all people. It includes measures of diversity, crime rates, and civic engagement (e.g., voter participation, volunteerism). Jane Jacobs actually coined the phrase “social capital” in The Death and Life of Great American Cities.
Omar Yaqub

Alberta helps mature workers remain in the workforce - 0 views

www.alberta.ca/...CE5-CC4B-509841E05A5BD3EC.html

alberta seniors work

shared by Omar Yaqub on 27 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • “Declining birth rates, the aging baby boom generation and increasing life expectancy are creating the perfect storm leading to future labour shortages,” said Lukaszuk. “This action plan not only strives to increase mature worker labour force participation but also seeks to reduce the loss of experience, corporate memory and leadership that can occur when people retire.”
  • work with employers to retain mature workers by developing age-friendly work environments, offering flexible work arrangements and phased retirement; support employers by collaborating on tools for succession planning; support mature workers who want to continue working by offering employment and career services and post-secondary educational options; create greater public awareness of changing expectations for older workers; and revise retirement programs and pension policies to support mature workers choosing to remain in the labour force.
  • number of mature workers aged 55 years of age and older in the labour force doubled between 2000 and 2010 (from 167,000 to 337,000)
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  • Mature workers currently account for almost 16 per cent of the labour force.
  • 70.1 per cent of Albertans aged 55-64 are active in the labour force compared to 62.5 per cent of Canadians; and 15.8 per cent of Albertans over age 65 choose to remain in the labour force compared to 11.4 per cent of Canadians.
Omar Yaqub

ICCI Goals and objectives - 0 views

www.international.gc.ca/...20of%20goalsandobjectives.aspx

government funding

shared by Omar Yaqub on 28 Jun 11 - No Cached
  • goal of ICCI is to increase total Canadian employment by facilitating the participation of Canadian communities in collaborative efforts to attract, retain and expand foreign direct investment.
  • enhance the capability and effectiveness of Canadian communities to attract employment-creating foreign direct investment (FDI) by providing them assistance in developing foreign direct investment attraction, retention and expansion initiatives. 
  • long-term planning principles and demonstrated cooperation between the private sector and municipal governments. 
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  • help Canadian communities become more effective in dealing with foreign direct investment aftercare and support specific foreign investment promotion initiatives. 
  • encourage intergovernmental cooperation, promote partnerships with the private sector and demonstrate federal commitment to encourage foreign direct investment and retention.
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