Archived Content: This section of the website serves as an archive of the various initiatives as well as human resource information that go2 provided to both employers and job seekers on how to prepare for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Having trouble finding the right person with the right skills? Looking for candidates with multiple language skills? If so, you may want to consider hiring foreign workers. The good news is there are several options available to bring in foreign workers for the period of the Games.
One of the easiest options is hiring international mobile youth. The Canadian government has a bilateral agreement with 22 countries allowing the exchange of youth to work and/or study abroad and the participants typically range in age from 18 – 35 depending on the country. These work permits do not require a Labour Market Opinion (LMO). Youth can apply directly for a work permit through local embassies without any of your involvement.
go2 has researched and made connections with the following organizations that coordinate youth mobility programs from a variety of countries. All of these organizations are either non-profit or government run and have options that the employers can access at no charge. Some offer job matching services to help narrow down your candidate search. Employers are welcome to contact and work directly with these organizations.
Alternately, if you don’t have time to contact these organizations directly, you can also take advance of go2’s resources and marketing efforts to find local, national and international workers. Employers can access go2’s 2010 Resume Database and post jobs on our Job Board at no cost. go2 is conducting additional marketing campaigns specifically to attract workers interested in working during the Games so be sure to leverage this to your advantage!
International Mobile Youth Organizations
SWAP — which stands for Student Work Abroad Programs — welcomes over 6,000 participants per year to Canada from 22 destinations around the world. SWAP offers participants some settlement services including completing necessary paper work for participants, obtaining a Working Holiday Visa for travelers, and offering support services such as help with job search and housing once they arrive at their destination. SWAP has in-bound centres in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver where employers can post job openings for free. In Vancouver, please contact:
Laurinda Tracey
Inbound Coordinator
SWAP Working Holidays - Vancouver
Tel: (604) 689-2887
Email: LTracey@swap.ca
Website: www.swap.ca
France/Belgium:
Working with the BC Provincial Nominee Program and federal government, go2 has had the opportunity to attend Destination Canada, a series of European job fairs in France and Belgium. Through attending these fairs and our ongoing relationship with government, go2 has contacts within an organization called Pôle emploi international, a public agency that works closely with the Embassy of Canada in France for employment and international mobility. BC employers can post job openings anytime at no charge here or contact directly for more information.
Julie Puglia
Pôle emploi international
Email: julie.puglia@anpe.fr
Website: www.pole-emploi-international.fr
Germany:
ZAV is a non-profit unit of Germany’s federal Employment Agency that can help Canadian employers fill job positions with suitable German workers for permanent and seasonal positions. ZAV services are free to employers and it can assist Canadian companies to recruit Germans of all skill levels. The ZAV database includes both unemployed job seekers and employed workers that wish to work internationally. ZAV services can include interviewing and prescreening candidates from the pool who meet the job criteria.
For more information on ZAV and German youth mobility programs, please click here. The contact below specializes in working with Canadian tourism and hospitality companies and is pleased to work directly with employers at no charge.
Hilke Estherr
ZAV International Placement Specialist
Tel: +49 / 228 / 713 - 1416
Email: employers-service@arbeitsagentur.de
United Kingdom:
BUNAC (British University North American Club) is the UK’s largest and oldest working holiday organization and is SWAP’s partner in the UK as well. Operating since 1962, BUNAC works with approximately 30 countries, including Canada, by offering a range of working holidays for young people from Britain – students and non-students. BC employers can post their job openings on the BUNAC website free of charge and participants preparing to move to Canada will respond directly to employers. To tap into this opportunity, you can simply email your job postings to canada@bunac.org.uk.
Deborah Walker
Manager, Work America & Work Canada BUNAC
Tel: 020 7251 3472
Email: Deborah.Walker@bunac.org.uk
Website: www.bunac.org.uk
Temporary Foreign Worker Programs for the 2010 Games
Another option to consider is getting a Labour Market Opinion (LMO) to bring in temporary foreign workers. Service Canada is issuing two types of LMOs specifically related to 2010: Primary Workforce and Secondary Workforce Opinion.
Please note that these programs take time to go through the process and you will need to factor in the time required to not only receive an LMO (through either of the two programs), but also for the temporary foreign worker to obtain a visa (if required) and the work permit. The lead time required to go through the process varies depending on the country you are recruiting from but government officials inform us that LMOs submitted now under either of these two categories will be given priority.
There are two categories of LMOs explained below and both are valid from date issued through to April 21, 2010, one month after the Games are over. Following are high-level summaries of the steps required for each program. There is also a web link below where further details and information can be found.
Primary Workforce: Available to sponsors, primary and subcontractors of VANOC.
- Attend an information session.
- Apply for approval in principle using the Primary Olympic and Paralympic Workforce Opinion application form.
- Attest that you will adhere to the primary Workforce Opinion Criteria (advertising requirements, prevailing wage rate, etc).
- Provide details on the Foreign Worker(s) you are making a job offer to.
Secondary Workforce Opinion: Available to BC employers who anticipate the need to hire foreign workers for the Games.
- Undertake recruitment efforts to hire Canadians or Permanent Residents and any other advertising efforts that Service Canada requires.
- Apply for a Secondary Workforce Opinion approval in principle. Submit a Secondary Olympic and Paralympic Workforce Opinion application form. All regular LMO criteria must be met (prevailing wage rate, no labour disruptions etc).
- Submit the Temporary Foreign Worker details. As with regular LMOs, there is a requirement to sign an employment contract with the TFW and provide it, and the Secondary Workforce Opinion approval letter, from Service Canada to the TFW who must provide it to CIC when applying for a Visa/work permit.
Please click here for more detailed information on each of these programs.
If you need additional information or have questions on any of the foreign worker programs, please contact John Leschyson at jleschyson@go2hr.ca.