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Help Wanted: B.C. Employers Reach Out to Foreign Workers

Brennan Clarke

| March 1, 2008

Image by: Greg Paupst

Elvie Yumul and her husband, Ted, came from the Philippines to work at the Fairmont Hotel in Whistler.

Amid cries of a workforce crisis, the federal government is loosening labour immigration laws. But accessing foreign workers is still a slow and complicated process.

At first glance, it seemed like a quick and easy fix for the Fairmont Chateau Whistler’s labour crunch. Faced with a staffing shortage of alarming proportions last fall, management at the five-star resort hotel launched an effort to import 80 temporary workers from the Philippines.

The two-step process – a labour market opinion (LMO) from Service Canada and a few dozen temporary-resident visas from the Canadian embassy in Manila – was supposed to take about 12 weeks. But the LMO, the official verification that the employer is unable to find qualified workers in Canada, didn’t arrive until June. Hotel staff then travelled to the Philippines to select the candidates and applied for their two-year temporary-resident visas in July. Four months later, the visa approvals came through and, in late November, the workers began arriving on Canadian soil.

Twelve weeks had become 12 months.

“Yes, the whole process between last December and now was long and complicated,” admits Michelle Graham, the hotel’s HR director. “Certainly, it was not quite the three-month process.”

The Chateau Whistler isn’t the only B.C. employer to find the task of importing foreign workers mired in red tape and bureaucratic delays. Far from it. Since the province’s jobless rate dipped below five per cent in early 2006 – perilously close to full employment in the eyes of many economists – a growing number of B.C. employers have been looking abroad to fill their labour needs.

Just three years ago, B.C.’s jobless rate was 7.2 per cent. In December that number was hovering around 4.2 per cent, the lowest in 30 years. The national jobless rate hit 5.8 per cent last fall – also a 30-year low – before creeping up one-tenth of a percentage point by Christmas.

As a result, foreign workers have become a sought-after commodity, with demand increasing by 40 per cent in B.C. and close to 200 per cent in Alberta in the first six months of 2007.

John Leschyson, HR director of the Go2 Tourism HR Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping B.C.’s hospitality sector battle the labour shortage, says temporary foreign workers were unheard of in the industry two years ago. Since then, B.C. hotel, restaurant and resort owners have filed close to 3,000 LMO requests.

That demand has driven a surge in the number of HR consultants and job-placement agencies peddling their services to desperate employers.

“I know of at least half a dozen new agencies in the tourism industry, and it’s happening in other industries too,” says Leschyson.

It’s a trend that Graham has noticed at the Chateau Whistler as well. “There are lots of agencies knocking on the door,” she says. “The hard part is trying to figure out which agency is reputable.”

Even though demand is high, it has been a bumpy ride for these new consultants, as employers and recruiters alike are discovering that getting foreign workers from point A to point B isn’t as easy as it seems. Just ask Christine Stoneman.

Late in 2006, Stoneman and her partners at Chemistry Consulting in Victoria saw the growing demand for foreign labour and added overseas recruiting to the company’s roster of services. In February the company applied for an LMO from Service Canada, hoping to import 40 Filipino hotel and restaurant workers in time for the 2007 high season.

The LMO approval alone took four months. Stoneman, who travelled to the Philippines in June to interview potential candidates, recalls that the Canadian embassy in Manila was flooded with applications from Filipinos with jobs waiting for them in Canada. “I was just floored by the wall-to-ceiling boxes of files coming in almost by the minute,” Stoneman says.

Overworked visa officers, employees of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, finally managed to process Chemistry Consulting’s employee applications by early November. By mid-December Chemistry had placed Filipino service-industry workers at hotels in Courtenay, Victoria, Tofino and Whistler.

“I thought, ‘Finally! God, it took long enough,’” says Stoneman. “It took a year, but now we’re in the loop, so hopefully things will move along a little more quickly.”

The snail’s pace of approvals can also be traced to federal immigration policies that have been slow to adapt to changing conditions. The bulk of immigrant workers have historically been mid- to high-level professionals who, under federal regulations, are allowed to stay longer and have a better chance of gaining landed-immigrant status than lower-skilled workers.

Tags

Staffing Shortage

Submitted by Mar Ruz on Thu, 2011-06-23 21:17.

I am an immigrant. I have finished Pastry Training and sent my resume to downtown Hotels in Vancouver, nobody called me for an interview.
They asked for experience. My question is how I am going to get it if they do not give me an opportunity to get it. They complain about low-skilled workers. This is not acceptable.

Why do Canadian companies

Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 2008-12-21 10:10.

Why do Canadian companies not recruit from Namibia? We have loads of experienced, loyal and honest hospitality workers ready to accept positions in Canada. Regards, Christa

We need to get another

Submitted by sniffsmith (not verified) on Thu, 2008-07-17 12:43.

We need to get another strategy, more convenient for all parts. As workers, we must be willing to adapt our lifestyles to live within our means. As employers, we must recognize the value of our employees and invest in them; rather than expecting more for less. Businesses must be willing to reduce their profit margins initially - eventually, their own workers will be putting their extra dollars back into our economy.

Putting more of an emphasis

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 2008-03-14 08:20.

Putting more of an emphasis on employee training and retention is a good start. Staff turn-over is a common concern heard in business meetings/seminars. It sounds as though the people bringing in overseas workers are trying to resolve this issue by sponsoring (owning) workers for the two years that their work permit allows. The permit pretty much hand-cuffs the workers to their jobs. In the short-term, it appears to be a solid move to attract workers and ensure that the positions are filled. It's also likely that the work will be done very well; a history of poverty and desperation almost guarantees that people appreciate any opportunity; big or small. I find it offensive that these companies fall short on developing a better business plan; and instead, import workers who will do more for less than most Canadians. It's arrogant and disrespectful. I can't think of a single person who would return to a resort; no matter how good the recreational conditions are, no matter how impressive the management is, no matter how fantastic the accommodations are; if the room they stayed in wasn't clean. Businesses are built from the ground up. Minimum wage workers have the power to make or break the relationship between any company and their customers. I spent a decade making minimum wage. At one point, despite working 35hrs/week, my income was being topped up an additional $90/month by welfare in order for me to support my young daughter. It left me with very little respect for my employer. And had I not been so determined to carve out a life for my family, I would have stayed home to raise my child and settled in to being paid more by welfare; which by the way, offered me limited medical benefits, unlike my employer, who offered none. The irony is, I have rarely quit a job because of the low pay. I left because I was over-loaded with more responsibilities without compensation. Raises were rarely given on merit; they were based solely on time served. And though I often met with management to discuss opportunities for growth within the company, no solid answers were ever given; and further training was never an option. In every case, I left because there was no future for me with the company. My guess is that the companies who are importing workers have not done everything they could do to adapt their current policies to attract/retain workers before signing off on the work permits. The company I work for now does an excellent job of attracting and retaining workers. They offer flexible schedules, time off school/maternity/travel without losing seniority, excellent benefits, great training, lots of opportunity to move horizontally or laterally within the company, have an excellent human rights track record, a diverse group of workers, reliable communication and safe working conditions. I've been with them for three years and have been happy the entire time. So, back to your question; how do we wake up before it's too late? It's time to educate the employers, workers and customers. Like never before, consumers are paying attention to where the spend their money - ie: fair trade, organic, environmentally sound (green) products. Moreover, many like me support companies who treat their employees well. I often ask workers how they feel about their employer; and I not only go back to the businesses who are praised, but I spread the word to my friends and colleagues. And in business, word of mouth is gold. I encourage all companies to write a mission statement that includes the welfare of their workers; to stick to it, revise when necessary and to make it public - put it where customers will read it. The opportunity to be a ground-breaking leader is huge right now. Companies can lead the campaign (and get the kudos). Their workers can hold them accountable and support their mission. And their customers will wake-up to and start supporting a revolutionary way of doing business. We haven't learned about Fair-trade and Green products because the companies supplying them were quiet about it. Advertising, publicity and lots of bragging made it part of our social consciousness. And the fact that most consumers have an emotional relationship with their money; spending 'ethically' gives them warm fuzzies. Why not build on the workers-rights movement? Grassroots organizations have been doing it for years (ie: worker owned or cooperatives). Pull our heart-strings. Get us out cheering (spending) for the little guy. Use it to your advantage. Make it your own. Take all the credit. I dare you. Employee Retention Basics: http://www.go2hr.ca/ForbrEmployers/Retention/StaffTurnover/tabid/110/Default.aspx

I'm quite happy that the

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 2008-03-07 07:36.

I'm quite happy that the process of importing immigrant workers takes as much time as it does. I believe that moving slowly on these things is wise. It will hopefully afford us a reasonable transition time to find out what impact this rise in workers has on our labour market. The gap between CEO wages and entry-level wages has increased by an alarming rate over the past 30 years. This will continue as long as workers allow it. What happens once an immigrant worker, who is initially grateful for the job, discovers that our expectations are higher in Canada? How soon before they start to form Unions? I smile at the thought. If companies are willing to invest in importing workers, despite the challenges, maybe they would also be open to investing in Canadian workers. Higher wages, benefits and flexible schedules may attract the workers they need. Our government invests millions of dollars every year in employment insurance payments and training/re-training programs. Many of the recipients are unwilling to work entry level jobs; the wages aren't enough to support their lifestyle or family. We need to re-think how we're doing things. As workers, we must be willing to adapt our lifestyles to live within our means. As employers, we must recognize the value of our employees and invest in them; rather than expecting more for less. Businesses must be willing to reduce their profit margins initially - eventually, their own workers will be putting their extra dollars back into our economy. I've done many of the jobs that immigrant workers are now being hired for now: dishwasher, chambermaid, fruit picker, tree-planter, grounds-keeper, house cleaner...my list is long. I've worked my way through numerous entry-level jobs. Every one left me broke by pay day. I went back to school - am now working on a Masters degree - and $30,000 in debt with student loans. Not sure that I'm better off. I'm now earning a higher wage. But what I've learned is that working the entry level jobs is where I did my best learning. I learned the meaning of hard work and service. I see less of this as I move 'up' the ladder. I believe that upper management would learn valuable skills by doing their company's 'grunt work' for a few weeks every year. I challenge anyone at the 'top' to roll up their sleeves and rough it out for a shift or two. They may come to realize that their employees deserve better treatment. And I may be shooting for the stars; but they may also come to understand that their businesses will flourish when they cultivate a better relationship with their employees. Final point: Low wages aren't good for our economy. We already see the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. The middle class survives on credit. Importing workers will perpetuate this cycle. I really hope that we wake up to this fact before it's too late; our families are eroding, violence is increasing and our communities are falling apart. It's time to re-think the wheel - the current model is threadbare and at risk of flying out of control.