Federal funds target labour shortage, in a depressed oilpatch {Canada}

Calgary Herald ^ | Nov 9, 2009 | Gina Teel

[thackney]

CALGARY - It’s tough to think of a skilled labour shortage in the midst of an economic downturn rife with unemployment, but the federal government is moving to address chronic staffing problems in the petroleum sector now, well ahead of an anticipated rebound.

With growth in the petroleum industry anticipated to eclipse available skills and labour, the Petroleum Human Resources Council of Canada has received $405,797 in federal funds to support a project that gives companies the resources they need to recruit, retain and develop their workforce.

The funding infusion, from the federal sector council program, is earmarked for the council’s ‘Increasing the Talent’ project and online tool kit, geared toward enabling the industry to develop better recruitment and retention strategies.

In announcing the funding Monday, Devinder Shory, Member of Parliament for Calgary northeast, said through the project, the federal government is helping to create the best skilled, best educated and most flexible workforce in the world.

“Our goal is to emerge from this economic downturn stronger than ever,” he said.

Council chief executive Cheryl Knight said attracting and retaining skilled workers is an “ongoing and ever present challenge.”

“It will continue to be a concern, but especially in the areas that we refer to as hard to recruit locations,” she said at the announcement.

Included here is the oilsands and other areas in northern Alberta and Northern B.C.

The funding will help employers incorporate strategies and practices into their day to day practices, like learning how to highlight workplace features, such as a strong volunteer base, when shopping themselves to prospective employees.

“Our industries tend to pay very well and provide fairly good benefits and I think in the past we’ve relied quite heavily on promoting the benefits of our compensation as a way to attract people,” Knight said.

“We’re saying that people expect more . . . they are choosing that employer for many more reasons than compensation,” she said.

Elizabeth Aquin, senior vice-president, Petroleum Services Association of Canada, said the program will be like having a virtual human resources department and of use to her membership, which represents about 18 different sectors.

“Their (membership) cutting edge technology is in the field, not necessarily in the office,” she said.

The resource is aimed at small and medium-sized businesses.

[thackney]

Many that I knew in the oil patch over the past 4 years considered jobs in Canada but turned them down over the higher taxes.

I think our current Administration is going to help Canada in this regard by destroying the US advantage on the take home money after taxes and living expenses.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

They are also bringing their rigs down here in the Dakotas, at much cheaper rates. the wages have dropped to low levels and American companies are still waiting to get their stacked rigs out of their yards.

All the while, the Canadian rigs are pouring across the border and taking American contracts.