Energy industry counting on new arrivals
More immigrants needed as job openings in oilpatch increase
CALGARY — The growing immigrant population is an increasingly vital part of helping oil and gas companies solve labour shortages, which are only expected to increase in the next 10 years.
In 2010, Calgary’s immigrant population was estimated at 304,000 — almost 30 per cent of the total population.
More than half of those immigrants were in the crucial working demographic of 25 to 44.
Last year, more than 35,000 immigrants came to Alberta, representing a significant portion of the 198,000 who arrived in Canada.
Joaquin Benitez, an immigrant from El Salvador in the mid-1980s, finds himself working alongside teams consisting almost exclusively of others like him — immigrants who came to Canada seeking a better life.
“There are a huge number of immigrants in projects I’m working on, (but) sometimes it’s so difficult to communicate with them because they don’t speak the language,” says Benitez, who trained as a civil engineer and is now a senior piping designer with SNC Lavalin in Calgary.
Language remains one of the top barriers to employment for immigrants, whose skills are often of a high calibre.
Getting their degrees from their home countries accredited in Canada is another big barrier.
“In terms of the immigrant population, 80 per cent that come from abroad are educated, so that is definitely a benefit to the Calgary community,” says Cindy DeVouge, chief development officer for Immigrant Services.
DeVouge’s organization has implemented an “integrated mentorship program” that matches immigrants with employers and assists them with resume-building, mock interviews and other skills.
The oil and gas industry is projected to need 125,000 to 150,000 additional workers in the next decade because of growing demand and retiring baby boomers, according to some estimates.
Immigrants stand to play an increasing role in filling that shortage of workers, DeVouge says.
“Qualified (immigrants) will be able to fill some of that labour shortage once some of their challenges are addressed,” she says.
As oil companies poach skilled engineers from other sectors, a broader void is created in labour supply across the country.
“They have to bring immigrants to sustain the demand for people in engineering, drafting and design work,” Benitez says.
“As more people get into the industry, other industries are lacking people. It will require more immigrants to come into the country.”
When Benitez came to Canada, the National Energy Policy had crippled the economy in Alberta and there were no jobs. The new arrival didn’t speak English very well and had no education.
Benitez took the opportunity to go to school and become a civil engineer.
“For the first few years, we struggled a lot,” he says. “When you don’t speak the language and you don’t have the proper education, you limit yourself in terms of the jobs you can do.”
By the time he graduated, industry activity had rebounded. Benitez was offered a job with Fluor Daniels even before he graduated.
What many oilpatch firms have begun to do in recent years to address the labour shortage crisis is to implement so-called “work-share” programs, in which they open offices in countries such as India or China, where labour is less expensive and readily available.
The problem with that strategy, Benitez says, is that the quality of work suffers because engineers working in those countries aren’t familiar with Canadian weather considerations or regulations and building codes.
The result is that more work — and cost overruns — end up occurring on the projects on the ground in Canada.
The strategy may reduce costs to the client initially, but costs them more by the time the project reaches completion, he adds.
By bringing more skilled immigrants into Canada, training them when necessary and getting them accustomed to the Canadian business environment, the pool of qualified engineers and other skilled professionals will increase, and that will help keep labour costs down and satisfy the demand.
DeVouge views the increased number of immigrants in the workforce as a positive and lasting benefit to Canada’s economy.
“With the labour shortages, we have the opportunity to integrate them into our community and make them a vital part of the health of this community,” she says.