News

Top jobs in BC: The 60 most high demand occupations

Canada’s economic balance of power is forecast to shift this year from Alberta’s oilsands to British Columbia’s coast. The prediction came this week from the Bank of Montreal’s chief economist, and is perfect timing for the B.C. government’s push to help meet one million job openings in 2022. Read More..

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Exxon says proposed $25-billion LNG project in B.C. could create 6,000 jobs

Exxon Mobil Corp., along with subsidiary Imperial Oil Ltd., say they could begin construction of an LNG facility in British Columbia in 2017, and their B.C. environment assessment application, filed last week, says the project would cost between $15 billion and $25 billion. Read More..

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Immigrant incomes show wide gaps between groups

New data sheds light on just how much money new immigrants are earning after arrival, and the earning gap between different types of immigrants. Read More..

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Ottawa defends errors in immigration processing

More than a quarter of the employees at immigration’s centralized processing centre are casual workers or students, says Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Read More..

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Ottawa to limit number of foreign youth working in Canada

The Conservative government is preparing to make deep cuts to youth labour agreements with its international allies, a move that would scale back the largest source of temporary foreign workers in Canada. Read More..

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Express entry system floated as government’s fix to live-in caregiver woes – CBC

Groups representing live-in caregivers say Immigration Minister Chris Alexander is considering moving the foreign caregiver program over to its new express entry immigration system as he seeks input from various stakeholders ahead of much-anticipated reforms.  The Live-In Caregiver Program was by and large excluded from reforms to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program announced.  Read More..

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Foreign live-in caregivers demand Canadian permanent residency rights – The Globe and Mail

According to some Live-in Caregiver advocates, the government is looking at replacing the current pathway to permanent residency with a system that would invite eligible caregivers who had completed 24 months of employment to apply under other immigration streams, such as the Canadian Experience Class.  Read More..

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New age limits on dependents have immigrant advocates crying foul – Maclean’s Magazine

A new CIC rule setting the ceiling at the age of 18 for dependents could hurt thousands of families and the Canadian economy.  The change could damage the country’s immigration model because every potential dependent left behind could provide a benefit down the line through the form of support through times of sickness, child rearing, and job loss.  Read More..

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Letter: Canada’s immigration system is evolving – Ottawa Citizen

This editorial responds to a recent article that highlights how many Canadians know little of Canada’s immigration laws, and few know how many immigrants Canada admits each year.  The immigration system in Canada underwent drastic surgery and re-engineering in the past eight years under the leadership of the previous immigration minister Jason Kenney.  The author describes these rapid changes to Canada’s immigration laws, and concludes that many Canadians instinctively know the value of immigration to Canada.  Read More..

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Addressing Labour Shortages in Canada’s Agriculture Industry – Canadian Cattlemen Magazine

The Canadian Cattlemen Association is pushing for the adoption of a Labour Action Plan that will, among other things, increase the labour supply to agriculture by augmenting domestic with temporary and seasonal labour.  Read More…

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The state of skilled trades sector in Canada

Skills Canada—a non-profit group that promotes careers in trades and technology—hosted the Skills Canada National Competition featuring exhibitor booths, a closing- day speech by Jason Kenney, Minister of Employment and Social Development and a “Try-a-Trade and Technology” contest. Skills Canada also hosts websites, workshops and a National Skilled Trades & Technology week. The aim of such initiatives is to generate interest in trades and technology careers among young people.  Read More..

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Skilled immigrants face hurdles in finding jobs, government report says – CBC News

The Conservatives have made the recognition of foreign credentials for new immigrants a top priority, but skilled newcomers have told government-commissioned researchers there are “huge obstacles” preventing them from finding jobs even when they’re qualified to work here.  In a report prepared earlier this year by Environics Research, newcomers in 12 focus groups across the country said other issues hinder their ability to get work. Read More..

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B.C. sees drop in unemployment rate in July after StatsCan revises jobs numbers – Business Vancouver

The unemployment rate in BC has slipped down to 5.9% in July from 6.2% in June, according to revised Statistics Canada data released in August.  Due to the discovery of an internal error, all employment data for July has since been revised.  Read More…

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Unemployment’s up for Canada’s most educated immigrants – Global News

Global News:
June 2014 data from Statistics Canada shows the unemployment rate for recent immigrants with university degrees has hit the highest point since June 2010. Currently 14 percent of university-educated immigrants who have arrived in the last five years are without employment. Read More…

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Express Entry Information – CIC

In January 2015, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will launch a new electronic system called Express Entry to manage applications for permanent residence in certain economic programs.  This comprehensive website outlines the process, and background information and news releases associated with the launch of Canada’s Express Entry model.  Provinces and territories will also be able to recruit candidates from the Express Entry system for a portion of the Provincial Nominee Programs to meet local labour market needs. Under this new system, employers will also have a key role in selecting economic immigrants.  Read more…

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Underemployed Immigrants a loss for Revenue Canada – Vancouver Observer

The article examines the economic implications of having internationally trained professionals working in entry-level and “survival” jobs.  In a country where four out of 10 working-aged foreign-born individuals hold a university degree and where skilled workers from abroad are always arriving, the prior statement implies that there’s always a big amount of people working below their skill levels. To drive the point home, a report titled Who Drives a Taxi in Canada? revealed that 10,600 immigrant taxi drivers countrywide had at least some post-secondary education and were considered overqualified for the job in 2012.  Having a significant number of newcomers working in entry-level positions has consequences beyond personal frustration. It negatively impacts the Canadian economy as well.  Read more…

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Promoting jobs and economic growth through Canada’s Start-up visa – CIC News Release

The Start-up Visa Program, launched last year, brings together Canadian venture capital funds, angel investors and business incubators with entrepreneurs from abroad. Entrepreneurs present their business plan to Canadian private-sector firms and, if they receive support, they can apply for permanent residence in Canada. With the Start-up Visa, Canada is targeting a new type of immigrant entrepreneur who has the potential to build innovative companies that can create jobs for Canadians and compete on a global scale.  Read more…

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Skills-training program in B.C. aims to curtail a coming jobs crisis – Globe and Mail

Within the next two years, the number of people in BC who are of retirement age will surpass the number of younger people available to fill job openings.  The BC Government has released a skills-training blueprint that aims to address this issue, and involves a significant overhaul of the BC education system.  Education funding will be shifted to force colleges and universities to offer programs that produce skilled tradespeople.  Read more…

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Temporary foreign workers: Businesses needing skilled workers sideswiped by changes – CBC

Business owners have requested Jason Kenney to consider modifying the Temporary Foreign Worker Program so it can accommodate the unique needs of specific industries.  Their request includes the ability to utilize this program and hire seasonal workers, at industry-level wages, and without the burden of high fees and administrative barriers.  A number of industries have raised concerns that the recent changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program unintentionally impacted their businesses.  British Columbia’s TV and Film industries, for example, are concerned about the new cost and processing delays of the hiring temporary workers.  Read more…

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Family separation, lost skills the biggest challenges for immigrant nannies – Toronto Star

A recent study on Live-in Caregivers found that despite high levels of educational attainment, many caregivers continue to work in the field past the required amount of time necessary to qualify for permanent residence.  The study has found that 86% of Live-in Caregivers had a university education or above, but that many continue to work in the caregiving field beyond the required times because they had lost skills and their previous education and work credentials were devalued.

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Foreign Credentials requirements to be eased for 10 additional occupations – Toronto Star

Canada is going to make it a “priority” to recognize foreign credentials in 10 additional job fields, bring the total to 24 professions.  The newly added professions include lawyers, welder, electricians, geoscientists, carpenters, heavy-duty equipment technicians, heavy-equipment operators, audiologists, speech language pathologists, midwives, and psychologists.  The government had previously categorized 14 other jobs, including dentists and engineers, as priority occupations.  Read more…

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Real Minimum wage in Canada haven’t budged in almost four decades – Globe and Mail

A new report from Statistics Canada shows that the average minimum wage in Canada was $10.14 in 2013. Accounting for inflation, this is nearly identical to the 1975 minimum wage average of $10.13.  A report from Statistics Canada looks at the weighted average among the provinces came amid a debate over inequality, high unemployment among the nation’s youth, and accusations of abuse of the Temporary Foreign Workers program.  Read more…

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Employment Minister Jason Kenny considers local exemption to temporary foreign worker program – Calgary Herald

Employment Minister Jason Kenney recently said he is willing to consider “local exemptions” to the recent overhaul of the temporary foreign worker program. The local exemptions, if approved, would only be for specialized local areas with very low levels of unemployment.  But Kenney made it clear he won’t compromise on the core goal of his controversial overhaul to the program: making sure employers don’t use it as a cheap source of labour when they could be hiring unemployed Canadians.  Read more…