December 14, 2022
Manitoba Government Promotes Province as Immigration Destination at International Job Recruitment Fair
– – –Representatives met with Qualified International Job Candidates to Recruit Skilled Francophone and Bilingual Workers for Sectors Experiencing Labour Shortages: Reyes
The Manitoba government met with hundreds of qualified international candidates in person and thousands more online at job recruitment fairs in France and Morocco from Nov. 17 to 23 to recruit talented workers to come to Manitoba and help meet the needs of the workforce, Advanced Education, Skills and Immigration Minister Jon Reyes announced today.
“Over the course of the week, representatives from Manitoba met with skilled workers from countries including France, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Cameroon to promote our province as an advantageous immigration destination,” said Reyes. “Our participation in the recruitment fair will help Manitoba attract skilled workers, particularly those from francophone backgrounds, to both meet shortages in Manitoba’s labour market and preserve and promote French language and culture in the province.”
The Manitoba government participated in the Destination Canada Mobility Forum in Paris, France and Rabat, Morocco. The forum, which takes place both in person and online, is an annual event organized by the Government of Canada that allows skilled French-speaking and bilingual candidates to learn about immigrating to Canada. Attendees met with representatives from provinces and territories, businesses and other stakeholders who are committed to building Canada’s francophone communities.
Representatives from Manitoba’s Provincial Nominee Program spoke with over 600 candidates in person at the forum to raise awareness of Manitoba as a work and immigration destination of choice and created strong connections between Manitoba employers and candidates in fields including information technology, health, education, engineering, business and finance, transportation and biotechnology, the minister said.
About 2,800 qualified candidates attended this year’s in-person events in Paris and Rabat. Of the 10,350 candidates who participated in the virtual event to chat or videoconference with governments and community exhibitors, over 6,300 visited the Manitoba government’s virtual booth.
Other participating agencies from Manitoba included Accueil francophone, the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities, Economic Development Winnipeg, and the Manitoba Francophone Immigration Network. These organizations work hand in hand to help provide a seamless immigration service continuum from initial contact to post-arrival settlement services, the minister noted.
“Destination Canada was a positive experience demonstrating the strong enthusiasm from francophones worldwide who want to come and settle in Canada. We met more than 3,000 qualified job seekers who want to come to work and live in Manitoba in French, since our province offers extensive bilingual job opportunities and services,” said Salimata Niamien-Soro, director of immigration and employability at the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities.
As a result of connections made at the forum, Economic Development Winnipeg reported that 3,850 job seekers joined the Work in Manitoba jobs portal between Nov. 17 and 30. Manitoba employers have started connecting with job seekers from the forum through this portal, the minister said.
More than 690 Manitoba employers are registered in the free portal representing a variety of sectors including technology, manufacturing, construction and transportation. There is no cost to employers to post jobs, or fees for candidates to review and apply for jobs through the portal.
The minister noted the goals of the forum aligns with Manitoba’s Skills, Talent and Knowledge Strategy, which outlines actions needed to accelerate recovery, advance Manitoba's economy and promote positive outcomes.
For more information on the strategy, visit www.manitoba.ca/mbskills/index.html.
For more information on Destination Canada, visit www.immigratemanitoba.com.
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