The president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (CanCham) said that the Philippines will not be losing its skilled workforce even though Canada is encouraging Filipinos to come over.
Julian Payne said that there would be no brain drain in the Philippines.
Payne said in a report by the Manila-based newspaper Business Mirror that Canada is not holding back the Philippines’s current economic momentum with its new and aggressive immigration policy that is targeting the country’s skilled work force and the youth sector.
“We are helping the employment situation in the Philippines. They will work overseas and add to their skills and experience. Then, they will eventually go back,” Payne said.
Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship John McCallum was in the country recently to announce that Canada will be accepting 300,000 permanent new residents in 2016.
Filipinos are high on the list of Canada’s wish list for immigration.
Payne added that Filipinos returning to the Philippines at the prime of their careers would be assets when they work again in the country because of what they have learned, while those returning in their old age could serve as advisors based on their experience.
Payne said Filipinos are a logical choice to fill in jobs in Canada because of their work ethic and good moral background.
“Filipinos are good workers and they better themselves at work. They are also good citizens and they pay their taxes,” he said.
Payne also added that Filipinos are good fit for integration in Canada because they are fluent in English, practices Catholicism and are family oriented.
He said Filipinos who have migrated to Canada have found work as blue- and white-collared workers.
“They have found jobs here as accountants all the way to engineers,” he said.
Payne added that Canadian government policy in theory and practice is multicultural. He said most people living in Canada are first-to fourth-generation immigrants.
Filipinos, along with the Chinese and Indians, are the fastest-growing ethnic groups in Canada.
Payne also said that inviting Filipino students to further their education in Canada would provide benefits on both sides.
“Students are the lifeblood and future of a country. There are schools that need to be filled. It will be an enriching experience,” Payne added.
He clarified that they are in no way influencing Filipinos who will enroll in Canadian schools to stay in their country for good.
“Canada needs immigrants. We have a low birthrate and an expanding economy. We need to fill in jobs,” Payne said.