Edmonton Economic Development Corporation

Manitoba lost 1,000 to other provinces, while Saskatchewan lost 600 people. It was the booming Prairie province’s first quarterly net outflow of people to other provinces since the third quarter of 2006.

campaign will focus on recruiting qualified workers and targeting sectors key to Calgary’s sustainable growth, such as finance, technology, and logistics. Outreach to these sectors and people will occur in four Canadian markets: Toronto, Halifax, Ottawa and Montreal

campaign was created by Calgary Economic Development with support from Mayor Naheed Nenshi and more than 30 investors from the private sector

outreach to those markets will be through the use of various tactics such as advertising and social media to create awareness about Calgary as a centre of business and career destination. There will also be a “heavy focus” on media relations and public relations

total budget for the 10-month national campaign is $1.2 million.

More than 50 per cent of the funding has been raised through partnerships with the private sector

Much of the Services sector work is seasonal and activity levels fluctuate with oil and gas prices.

The Services sector is a preferred labour supply source for the Exploration and Production and Oil sands sectors that often hire full-time employees from its contracted workforce.

The Services sector may be facing a labour shortage, but the industry as a whole will soon have to adapt to a much tighter labour market. During the downturn, cost management was the primary concern for the industry. In the latter half of 2010, attraction, retention and workforce development returned as key priorities for many oil and gas companies. Industry recovery has also increased the challenges around managing compensation and benefits expectations as well as employee turnover/retention. These workforce issues continue to escalate in today's market. For many companies, managing labour issues will be key to sustaining growth.

At the height of the boom in 2006, Alberta had more than 60,000 temporary foreign workers — the highest per capita of any province. Many worked on oilsands projects but a lot of them left when the economic downturn hit in December 2008.

Under the new rules, temporary foreign workers can spend a maximum of four years in Canada, and then must leave for four years before re-applying for another four year term. Previously, a permit issued for two years was renewable several times if the employer could prove the worker was needed.

At the height of the boom in 2006, the construction industry brought in about 7,000 skilled tradesmen, “but these days, that’s down to almost zero,” Staples said.

Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour

there’s a danger in allowing employers, alone, to define Canada’s immigration policy: Employers are increasingly looking for average workers, not skilled labour.

After your employer gets confirmation that you can be offered a job, the employer will send you the LMO confirmation letter. In some cases, you can submit your work permit application while you wait for the LMO