Canada looks to fill healthcare gaps with Filipino workers

DUE TO its increasingly aging population, the Canadian government on Thursday said it is looking to fill in gaps in its healthcare industry with Filipino workers, urging laborers to consider cities outside major ones.

Christopher Bott, First Secretary, Migration at the Canadian Embassy in Manila, said healthcare workers, specifically caregivers, are in demand in the Northern American country driven in part by its aging population.

Despite tougher immigration policies amid Canada’s bid to reduce temporary residents to 5%, Mr. Bott said overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are still welcome in the country.

“There is still a great demand for workers in what I would say are critical sectors in Canada, things like in the construction industry, especially in healthcare still. Canada is also an aging country. We have a great demand for healthcare workers across the spectrum, not just nurses, but care workers as well and all sorts of healthcare opportunities,” he said during the Overseas Labor Market Forum in Quezon City.

“There’s still a lot of opportunity [available] for Filipino workers.”

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) undersecretary for Policy and International Cooperation Patricia Yvonne M. Caunan said the Philippines posted over 6,000 OFWs in Canada this year so far, on track for equaling or overtaking last year’s data of 8,553 OFW deployment.

In terms of illegal recruitment, Mr. Bott reminded that Canada uses an employer-paid policy, which means employers shoulder the costs attributed with hiring foreign workers.

“The employer should be paying for everything and also in terms of ethical recruitment we encourage the employers to all follow the regulations of the country they’re recruiting from, in this case the Philippines and DMW,” he said.

In Canada, an agreement allows for the hiring of Filipino nurses under the Alberta initiative, providing financial and educational support to facilitate their transition, DMW said in a statement.

Ms. Caunan noted that there are on-going talks on signing memorandums of understanding with five Canadian provinces, with Nova Scotia up for first.

Apart from Canada, DMW is expanding agreements with European nations Slovenia, Finland and Hungary.

“We at the DMW are deeply committed to strengthening partnerships with international stakeholders. Our unwavering focus is on promoting ethical orderly, transparent, and sustainable recruitment, ensuring worker protection, and advancing initiatives that prioritize the rights and welfare of OFWs and their families,” Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac said at the event. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana