Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 20) — More jobs in Canada await Filipino workers after the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) signed a labor cooperation agreement with the government of Yukon Territory.
In a virtual ceremony held on Friday, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III and Minister of Economic Development, and Tourism and Culture Ranj Pillai inked the memorandum of understanding on the employment and protection of Filipino workers.
“The Memorandum of Understanding…not only strengthens our bilateral labor relations but will also enhance our cooperation in the protection, recruitment and deployment of Filipino workers in Yukon,” Bello said.
Negotiated since 2019, the agreement aims to facilitate the deployment of Filipino workers under the Yukon Nominee Program, which is driven by employers looking to fill critical vacancies. It also provides that employers and their agents, including immigration consultants, are banned from charging any fees for recruitment services and selection.
The agreement will be implemented by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and Yukon’s Department of Economic Development.
“It has been almost three years since we’ve met and signed the Philippines-Yukon Joint Communiqué in Whitehorse, Yukon. The Joint Communiqué paved the way for the execution of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Philippines and Yukon on the Employment and Protection of Filipinos under the Yukon Nominee Program,” Bello said.
The screening of qualified Filipino applicants will begin once the implementing guidelines are approved by the Joint Working Committee. Consul General Maria Andrelita Austria, Deputy Consul General Arlene Magno, and POLO Vancouver Labor Attaché Jainal Rasul Jr. are part of the panel.
Approximately 5,000 Filipinos are in Yukon, and most of them have already become Canadian citizens.
