Quebec will call more people to work
Several dozen professions are selected for simplified employment.
The Quebec government has added more than 30 new occupations for which local employers will be able to hire foreign workers more easily. The updated list was published on November 2.
This time, Quebec has targeted workers in retail, hospitality, catering and processing. The list includes many low-skilled or unskilled occupations, such as cashiers and service personnel. Also, the allowed percentage of foreign workers in these sectors has increased from 10 to 20.
This is not yet a final decision, as the list has to be approved by the Canadian federal government. This is expected to happen within a few weeks. Quebec's business community has been waiting a long time for this, as the initiative is designed to solve the problem of an acute labour shortage.
The shortage of workers in Quebec affects many sectors of the economy badly. It existed before the pandemic, but has since worsened. For months, Quebec has advocated hiring more foreign workers and making it easier for foreigners to apply for jobs.
Now, in order to be able to work in Canada, foreigners have to go through a long and time-consuming process. Employers often have to complete a labour market impact assessment, then apply for a work permit and send the documents to the Quebec and Canadian governments.
"It won't meet all of our needs, but it will allow businesses to significantly increase the number of employees," Jean Boulet, Quebec's labour minister, said of the new initiative.
Once approved by the federal government, the new measures will remain in effect until December 2023.
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