Canadian building companies travelling to Ireland to lure trades people need not bother anymore - the Irish Government is helping the recruitment drive by sending postings to job-seekers.
By Grainne Burns
Canadian building companies travelling to Ireland to lure trades people need not bother anymore - the Irish Government is helping the recruitment drive by sending postings to job-seekers.
Irish politicians are up in arms after it was revealed last week that some job-seekers received a letter from the Irish government with listed vacancies of positions in Canada. The letter stated that if the recipient was interested, they could send their resume to the relevant department, which would then be forwarded to an unspecified Canadian employer.
The B.C. Construction Association announced last week that it is returning to the Emerald Isle to hire 600 people due to a shortage of skilled tradespeople in the region.
That move has also stirred controversy on these shores with the province's labour leaders arguing that employers can indeed find skilled, unionized Canadian workers to fill the positions, such as bricklayers and welders.
Following Ireland’s dramatic crash in 2008, thousands of skilled trade’s people have immigrated to Canada. As part of its budget last week, the Government cut the social welfare benefits for under-25s, a move that is expected to see more young people emigrate.
More Canadian employers are encouraging trades people to relocate with their families to western provinces, offering lucrative packages and permanent residency through the Provincial Nominee Programme.
According to the British Columbia Labour market Outlook 2010-2010, retirements will account for two thirds of vacancies in skilled labour jobs and there will be more than one million job openings in this industry during this decade.
