Quebec resumes foreign worker recruitment campaigns

Québec is holding online recruitment campaigns targeting foreign workers to help employers in the province fill labour shortages and support the province’s post-pandemic economic recovery. (Pixabay photo)

The Québec government and its various partners are gradually resuming international recruitment efforts, including the Journées Québec (Québec Days), which bring together businesses seeking to hire international talent.

Québec is holding online recruitment campaigns targeting foreign workers to help employers in the province fill labour shortages and support the province’s post-pandemic economic recovery.

The planned recruitment initiatives called the Journées Québec (Québec Days) are led by the Ministère de l’Immigration du Québec, with the support of its network of representatives in various locations around the world: Dakar, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York, Paris and Rabat.

The events that had been planned over the past four months were postponed back in March as a precautionary measure to stop the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). New dates have now been scheduled and include the following online events:

• October 19 to November 6, 2020: Recruitment Mission by Montréal International in information technology, video games and artificial intelligence;
• October 26-30, 2020: Québec Tunis Days in health and multisector;
• November 3-6, 2020: Québec Sao Paulo Days in the health sector;
• November 17-21, 2020: Québec Bogota Days in health and multisector;
• November 30 to December 5, 2020: Québec Paris Days in the health and multisector;
• November 30 to December 8, 2020: Québec Mauritius and Madagascar Days in health and multisector; and
• January 2021: Québec Dakar Days in health and information technology.

The Journées Québec events enable employers to review the available talent in a pool of candidates, find the right match, set up interviews and hire them. Foreign workers interested in accessing job offers or showcasing their skills to Québec employers are invited to submit a registration application.

“The success of the Journées Québec formula is based on the real possibility of finding a job and achieving personal goals in a stimulating new environment where creativity and boldness open up many horizons. Jobs are available in several regions of Québec, and each of these regions offers its own unique way of life that reconciles personal, family and professional aspirations,” according to the government’s Web site.

All planned recruitment activities will be carried out in a virtual format. Moreover, the eventual arrival of foreign workers will take place in accordance with the health measures prescribed by the Government of Québec.

Recruitment efforts undertaken as part of the Québec Days fall within the framework of Québec’s efforts to find more workers for the health and technology sectors.

In late May, the Québec government announced major reforms to its immigration programs, including two new pilot immigration programs for nursing assistants and technology workers.

Nurse aides, or orderlies, are in high demand throughout the province. According to the Government of Québec, current programs are not meeting labour market demands. Since 2013, only 115 nursing assistants have been selected for permanent residence in Québec. The new program will aim to bring in 550 nursing assistants per year.

Similarly, artificial intelligence and information technology sectors are booming in Québec. A new immigration pilot project will allow the province to select 550 highly skilled workers per year for immigration.