The Canadian province of Alberta has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Philippines’ Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE) regarding human resource development to promote the many employment opportunities in Alberta.

Hector Goudreau, the Alberta Minister for Employment and Immigration, whose province has been suffering from labour shortages in many sectors, is pleased to welcome Filipino workers because of their “good work ethic, skills, flexibility, and adaptability.”

Many of the overseas Filipino workers that DOLE plans to transfer to Canada are currently in Middle Eastern countries on contracts that will soon be expiring.

According to Philippine Labour Secretary Marianito Roque, overseas Filipino workers earn higher wages in Canada than they do in the Middle East.

Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and British Columbia also have MOU’s with the Philippines.

The Government of British Columbia recently had its first job fair in Manila to recruit thousands of skilled workers to help alleviate provincial labour shortages in the hospitality, tourism, and transportation industries, as well as the health and education sectors.

Michael Chew, associate director of British Columbia’s Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) called it “match-making between the needs of the employers in BC and the available skills in the Philippines.”

British Columbia business leaders and government official plan to return to the Philippines next year for further skilled worker recruitment fairs.