Immigrants bring wealth of work skills

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This article was published 18/01/2012 (5037 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE work experience and professional backgrounds of the 900 African provincial nominee immigrants who have come to Manitoba over the last four years are as diverse as the ethnic mix of the province.

Maple Leaf Foods in Brandon likely employs the largest number of those immigrants today.

Already a virtual United Nations of employees, over the last couple years close to 200 people from Mauritius, the tiny island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent, are now working at Maple Leaf.

They join a large contingent of Latin American, Chinese and Ukrainian workers already there.

The majority of immigrants from Mauritius who came to Brandon were recruited by Maple Leaf or were family members of workers recruited by the meat processor.

Blake Crothers, director of communications for the union representing workers at Maple Leaf’s Brandon plant — Local 832 of the United Food and Commercial Workers — said, “It’s a real melting pot there. It’s become very diversified and they (immigrant workers) are staying, buying homes and establishing networks.”

“Five years ago or so we had about 500 non-English-speaking people living in Brandon. Now we have over 8,000,” Brandon Mayor Shari Decter Hirst told the Free Press about a year ago.

“But Brandon is meeting that challenge and there is no denying the economic impact those people bring to our community.”

 

Here are the occupations listed from Manitoba provincial nominees with declared countries of citizenship in Africa from 2007-2011:

91: accounting, auditors, related clerks

84: industrial butchers, meat cutters, poultry preparers, related workers

46: university professors, post-secondary teaching, research assistants

40: administrative, general office clerks

39: registered nurses, nurse aides, orderlies, patient-service associates

38: general practitioners, family physicians, specialist physicians

36: secondary, elementary school teachers, educational counsellors

34: information technology professionals

30: administrative officers

25: customer service, related clerks

22: engineers, engineering technologists

23: retail-trade managers

23: computer, network operators, web technicians

21: secretaries (except legal and medical)

20: sales representatives — wholesale trade

19: business development officers, marketing researchers, consultants

17: biologists, related scientists, laboratory technicians

16: electrical, electronics engineers

15: community, social-service workers

15: banking, credit, other investment managers

14: banking, insurance, other financial clerks

14: security guards, related occupations

13: retail salespersons, sales clerks

13: sales, marketing and advertising managers

13: automotive service technicians, truck mechanics, mechanical repairers

12: customer-service representatives — financial services

12: ministers of religion

12: pharmacists

11: electrical, electronics-engineering technologists, technicians

9: early childhood educators, assistants

8: supervisors, finance and insurance clerks

8: tailors, dressmakers, furriers, milliners

8: welders, related machine operators

8: personnel and recruitment officers

8: other assisting occupations in health services

7: bookkeepers

7: truck drivers

7: elementary, secondary school teacher assistants

6: inspectors in public, environmental health, occupational health, safety

6: lawyers, Quebec notaries

6: hairstylists, barbers

6: other administrative-services managers

6: other business services managers

6: social policy researchers, consultants, program officers

6: theatre, fashion, exhibit, other creative designers

5: architects

5: health policy researchers, consultants, program officers

5: chemical technologists and technicians

5: user support technicians.