Canada fills mining jobs

VANCOUVER -- Canada might find ideas to help
ease the worker shortages facing mining companies by studying the
example of Australia, where the easing of temporary worker rules has
brought an influx of new labour into Outback mines.

“There are
all sorts of adjustments being made in terms of immigration laws, and
all sorts of things to allow more professionals to come into the
country, and Australia would probably be a good model as to where
Canada is heading,” said Ken Brouwer, managing director of engineering
firm Knight Piesold in Vancouver.

Last year, Canada granted
twice as many temporary work visas as Australia did, but industry
observers say the Aussie system is more responsive and easier to
navigate. For one thing, Australia does not require employers seeking
foreign hires to obtain labour-market opinions, which in Canada are
designed to ensure overseas workers are not stealing jobs from
Canadians. Those opinions can take up to 11 weeks to obtain.

“There
are foreign workers coming in, but, anecdotally, I can tell you that
the system could benefit with greater efficiency, so that we can get
those people into the workplaces more quickly,” said Paul Hebert,
executive director of the Mining Industry Human Resource Council.

The
council estimates Canada’s mining industry will need another 40,000 to
70,000 workers by 2015. At least part of that will have to come from
other countries, said Russ Buckland, managing partner of mining
headhunting firm The Bedford Group in Toronto.

Like Canada,
Australia has a 30-year low in unemployment, and it’s estimated its
minerals sector will face a shortfall of 70,000 workers in the next
decade. As a result, Australian mine companies have hired temporary
foreign workers in rapidly increasing numbers. It brought in 2,840 in
2006, nearly doubling its intake of the previous year.

“There’s
really an incredible people shortage, and added to that you’ve got the
problem of attracting people from the eastern seaboard in Australia to
remote areas in Western Australia,” said Louise Dodson, an official
with the Mineral Council of Australia. “In a lot of cases it’s been
easier to attract temporary workers from overseas.”

The
Australian temporary foreign worker documents, called “457 visas,”
allow industry to hire international employees for between three months
and four years. The program obliges sponsor companies to cover return
travel expenses and all Australian medical costs, and guarantees a
minimum salary.

To be eligible, companies must also employ
Australians and provide proof that their operations foster new business
skills and technology, expand Australian trade and improve domestic
competitiveness.

The program “enables critical skills to be
sourced at relatively short notice,” Peter Terlick, executive officer
for education and training with the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of
Western Australia, wrote in an e-mail.

The 457 visas have been
attacked by Australian labour unions, which have accused employers of
taking advantage of temporary workers. Australia’s department of
immigration and citizenship says less than 2 per cent of sponsoring
businesses have been accused of wrongdoing, but it has agreed to step
up enforcement.

Australian mining companies also have been
forced to bolster their domestic ranks, with the mineral council
recently launching a national strategy and marketing campaign aimed at
raising awareness of mining careers, not just with students but also
among older workers.

Canadian companies have come to a similar
conclusion: Foreign workers are a good idea for temporary shortages,
but the long-term problem won’t ease unless somehow more Canadians want
to become miners and geologists.

nvanderklippe@nationalpost.com

Financial Post

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