This is from the Star Phoenix Saskatoon. The Philippines has a surplus of trained workers in numerous areas with not enough jobs in the Philippines for them, so as the article mentions families expect some of their children to go abroad and remit money to help support the families at home. Pensions are often small in the Philippines or non-existent for most. There are already quite a few filipinos on the prairies especially in cities such as Winnipeg. This is from statscan:
Tagalog replaced Ukrainian as the second leading non-official mother tongue in 2001. Its population rose from 17,850 to 20,460, and in 2001 it represented 14.9% of Winnipeg's allophones.
Wednesday » March 12 » 2008
Sask. recruiters lure 297 Filipino nurses
Saskatoon Health Region will get 105 new hires
Darren Bernhardt
The StarPhoenix
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Despite warnings about the cold winters, nearly 300 nurses from the Philippines have jumped at the chance to live and work in Saskatchewan.
The nurses were recruited by a health-care delegation that spent nine days, Feb. 28 to March 8, in Manilla. They are expected to begin working in health facilities around the province in the next three to six months.
"We will be bringing them over in smaller groups in order to settle them in, make a smooth transition, and make sure they get a good start," said Mark Dahlgren, a nurse manager from Parkridge Centre in Saskatoon, who was part of the delegation.
Of the 297 nurses coming to Saskatchewan, 105 will be employed in the Saskatoon Health Region and another 21 in North Battleford's Prairie North Health Region. The Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region is hiring 66, the Sunrise Health Region is getting 63 with another two pending, the Prairie North Health Region will have 21 and the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region is expecting 31.
The new recruits are going to make a difference for nurses who are currently working many hours of overtime "and telling us they're tired," said Dahlgren.
But removing 300 professionals from the Philippines took some care to ensure those health facilities weren't depleted, either, he added.
The Saskatoon Health Region developed an ethical guideline, which was adopted by the other regions as well. It stated no more than 10 nurses would be recruited from a single hospital and of those, no more than three from the same unit.
"It is a ground-breaking approach that we believe has set an international standard for recruitment," said Dahlgren. "When you're going into another country, it is imperative to act ethically and ensure you don't leave their system in chaos."
The consideration was much appreciated by Filipino officials, who thanked the delegation, he said. During the interviewing process, as job offers were made, the hallways erupted in cheers with families hugging and crying in joy, Dahlgren said.
"Families want to see their young people going abroad and making a better life for themselves then sending money back home (to the Philippines)," he said, noting the Philippines trains nurses specifically to work abroad.
The delegation included members from the health regions, the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association, the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses and the Ministry of Health and Government Relations. They explained the province's climate to prospective employees and showed them pictures, making sure they knew what to expect.
"They shuddered at the temperatures but were excited," said Dahlgren. "They thought the images of frost on the trees and the frozen river were beautiful."
The challenge now will be to find places to live in a tight housing market. There is a group from the health region working specifically on finding lodgings, said Dahlgren. That's another reason the nurses are coming in small waves.
"Having a planeload with all of them coming at once would not be a good idea," Dahlgren said.
Though he hasn't heard any complaints yet, Dahlgren expects some people might object to workers being recruited from other countries for jobs local people could be trained to perform. The problem is, there just isn't enough nurses here to fill the need, and many Saskatchewan graduates are also recruited to other countries, he said.
"I hope the people of Saskatchewan embrace them (nurses from the Philippines). They want to come here and are very well trained," he said.
The recruitment strategy is part of the Saskatchewan Party government's election promise to bring 800 more nurses to the province over four years. The Saskatchewan Union of Nurses has estimated there are between 800 and 1,000 vacant positions in the province and more than 1,400 practising nurses will be eligible to retire by 2010.
The delegation convened in Regina Tuesday to report its success.
"We are seeking every creative option for securing health professionals in a highly competitive environment across North America," said Saskatchewan Health Minister Don McMorris, who will be attending a recruitment fair in Alberta on Sunday.
dbernhardt@sp.canwest.com
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2008
Copyright © 2008 CanWest Interactive, a division of CanWest MediaWorks Publications, Inc..
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