Andrew Miller

http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/workplaces...lmoppone.shtml

Great Dane

Is the labour market really under so much pressure that employers can't find Canadians to fill occupations like

- delivery drivers
- Food and Beverage Servers
- Retail Salespersons and Sales Clerks

just to name a few ..

Sounds like any "average Joe" can obtain a Canadian work permit these days.

markan

These occupations are added because there is a severe shortage in these provinces,in these occupations.25 years and still learning, my wife 25 years,our children 4years, and a very hard working family.Non of us have Bachelor Degrees and if that makes us 'average joes' were proud of it. Mark and family

PMM

Hi

You have to remember, that by allowing Work Permits for these jobs (usually minimum wage) that it helps the employer by keeping down wages. Higher wages, you attract locals who will do the job. An example a butcher in a unionized meat packing plant in 1970 was paid $3.57 per hour. That same job in one of the large hog plants in Alberta is now $14.00 per hour. To give some context, the Federal Meat Inspector in that plant was paid $3.65 per hour, today the rate is $26.18 per hour.

Same as the Live in Caregiver program, where the salary is 1200/month gross before taxes, so very few Canadian residents would take that job. But for overseas applicants who couldn't qualify as skilled workers, after 2 years can apply for PR status. So the old carrot and stick, work at an under appreciated job and in due time you may be rewarded.

Judy in Calgary

Yes.

The Expedited Labour Market Pilot Project is not applicable to the whole of Canada. It is applicable only to Alberta and British Columbia.

Because of the energy boom, Alberta is experiencing a mild form of the "gold rush" phenomenon. That is, people are pouring into the province so quickly that it's hard to keep up with the expansion of the infrastructure that would be needed to serve them adequately.

The oil companies and oil services companies can afford to pay better than anyone else, and they siphon off workers from other industries. Hence employers in the retail sector, in the hospitality sector, etc., have a devil of a job retaining employees.

The staff turnover rate is incredible. Many restaurants in Calgary have reduced their operating hours because they simply cannot find enough staff to operate the establishment for the same number of hours as before. In many fast food restaurants they can only serve the customers in the drive-through lane or inside the restaurant, but not both simultaneously.

Last winter, the City of Calgary's performance was utterly abysmal when it came to the clearing of snow off major traffic routes. I heard they just couldn't find enough workers to operate the sanding trucks and snow clearing equipment. Their performance has been somewhat better this winter, so far.

A few months ago we bought a washing machine from Sears. We found that the waiting time for delivery was longer than we were used to, and there was a smaller selection of time slots available for delivery. The manager of the delivery department told my husband that they just could not find enough drivers to maintain the delivery service that they had provided in the past.

The situation is what it is.

Postscript. I want to add that I frequently make the effort to warn newcomers to this forum about Alberta. There are some occupations in which the pay is high enough to make up for the rise in real estate prices that we've seen in the last three years. The oil industry and the skilled trades are areas that pay well, and there are a few others. Yet there are many fields in which there are plenty of jobs available but in which the pay is not good enough to compensate for the high cost of accommodation. Half the people in Calgary's homeless shelters have employment of some kind. A husband and wife who both have relatively low skills each have to hold down two jobs in order to keep a roof over their family's head. Some people describe Alberta as some sort of Shangri-La. It is -- if you earn enough.

Great Dane

Thanks for clarifying Judy. Surely this crunch must inflate wages in unskilled jobs as well ?

Anyone know if these businesses (for instance FedEx looking for drivers) are interested in hiring non-Canucks who want to come over on a work permit ?
Or would they consider it too big of a hassel timewise ?

Tarik

Am I the only one getting an impression, that Canada needs not skilled, but rather slave labor?

Happy_Feet

Well we think having "average joe" being able to obtain a wp is a good thing



Anybody should have the opportunity to move for a better life, regardless of qualifications and lifes circumstances

Great Dane

Sorry if my "average Joe" comment offended some you. Wasn't my intention. If anything I probably fit the description pretty well myself

I just want to know if those employers looking for workers to fill these unskilled jobs are willing to go through the hassels of hiring a non-Canadian ?

Will they even issue a WP for a $10.00-12.00/hr job ? Is it even feasable to survive on that if living in a big city ?

Happy_Feet

Ahhhhh another average joe then, thats ok

Hope you get an answer to your question...

Judy in Calgary

From what I've seen on this forum, no.

I don't know. My guess is that they would, if the employer could be arsed to apply for a Labour Market Opinion.

No. Please see the Postscript in post #5 of this thread.

Happy_Feet

It would appear the truck companies are about the only ones activly looking for UK workers, is this about right?

Judy in Calgary

The Edmonton and Calgary Police Services are actively looking for UK workers, as far as I know.

If they are not actively looking for UK workers, Alberta hospitals certainly welcome British nurses with open arms.

Engineering, procurement and construction companies in Alberta sometimes actively recruit engineers from the UK.

Those are the ones that I know about, off the top of my head.

PMM

Hi

Restaurants, Hotels, are getting LMOs, but they are usually hiring in Asia, where $12.00/hour looks pretty good. Especially if the workers don't realize what the cost of living is in Canada.

Happy_Feet

thanks the answers guys, are the new occupations added to Expedited LMO Pilot Project only every going to be on a temp worker basis or can they lead to permanent residency visa?