Canada's Saskatchewan province to hire hundreds of healthcare workers from Philippines

Canada's Saskatchewan province on Tuesday announced a plan to hire hundreds of healthcare workers from the Philippines over the next two years.

The move is part of Saskatchewan's long-term scheme to recruit, train, incentivize and retain more healthcare workers to strengthen its provincial healthcare system, a Canadian Embassy statement said.

Full-time jobs will be offered to registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, continuing care assistants and medical laboratory assistants.

“We want to spread the word to health-care workers in the Philippines that our province is a place of great opportunity,” Saskatchewan’s Minister of Health Paul Merriman said.

“We would love to welcome into our friendly Saskatchewan communities health-care workers from the Philippines who are interested in coming to work and live here along with their families,” he added.

Saskatchewan is the first province in Canada to pilot an accelerated training and assessment pathway for eligible nursing recruits from the Philippines.

Participants will remain in the Philippines to fulfill the online components of this intensive educational program and final clinical and practicum components are completed in Saskatchewan.

Successful applicants who commit to a return for service agreement will have costs covered for language and education assessments, bridging/training, fees related to professional exams and registration, and other costs incurred while training such as travel for clinical placement.

In addition, costs for international recruits include transportation, accommodation and other settlement related costs, such as immigration fees.

Saskatchewan is home to 33,000 Filipinos and Tagalog is the number one foreign language spoken in the province.

Spouses of successful applicants, Canada said, will receive assistance in securing employment in Saskatchewan within other industries such as trades, construction and food services.

“Our province has had much success in welcoming Filipino nurses and other health-care workers into our workforce and our communities,” Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Seniors and Rural and Remote Health Everett Hindley said.

“We wish to invite the Filipino people to consider building a thriving career here in Saskatchewan, where you can enjoy a great quality of life, raise a family and be part of a strong and supportive community,” he said.

Earlier this month, the Philippines and the Province of Alberta, Canada signed an agreement that would strengthen their cooperation regarding the welfare of Filipino nurses, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. —KG, GMA News