More work needs to be done to recruit local: PA Chamber CEO
It could soon get tougher for some Prince Albert businesses to fill job vacancies.
The Harper government is reversing changes it made last year to the temporary foreign workers program. Among them is the ability by some companies to fast-track the hiring of workers from outside Canada.
“There are some scenarios where foreign workers could be seen to be displacing local employment. I think that every region needs to maximize efforts to recruit locally first,” said Merle Lacert, CEO of the Prince Albert and District Chamber of Commerce.
He said his biggest concern is potential effect on small business, since there are a number of businesses in the city that have taken advantage of the foreign worker recruitment program. Staffing shortages, and a lack of interest of interest locally, have forced employers to look elsewhere.