El Salvador’s Minister of Labor, Rolando Castro, announced yesterday that more than 3,000 new formal job positions will be made available for Salvadorans in Canada during the first quarter of 2024. This initiative is part of the Labor Migration Program agreed upon between the two countries.
Minister Castro attributed this achievement to his recent tour of Canada, during which he engaged with entrepreneurs from various industries and associations representing productive sectors in the North American nation.
The tour had a dual focus. Firstly, it involved assessing the conditions of individuals already working in Canada under the program. Secondly, Minister Castro aimed to convey to potential employers that El Salvador is open to new investments, offering legal and social security. «The idea was to encourage many entrepreneurs that there is a new vision led by a president, Nayib Bukele, who has guaranteed public and legal security,» he stated.
«We met with a conglomerate of golf companies, the largest in Canada and the United States. We also held discussions with the pharmaceutical industry, pigment production, the agricultural sector association, and the largest farmers’ association in Canada,» added the minister.
Minister Castro highlighted that Canadian companies urgently request more than 200 workers to maintain optimal operations due to a shortage of local labor. Salvadorans securing positions will be traveling in groups throughout the remainder of 2023.
«We received urgent requests. At the last farm we visited, they explicitly asked us to expedite all procedures to send the first 200 workers as soon as possible, and by the first quarter of 2024, it will be 3,000 workers,» emphasized Minister Castro.
Furthermore, he stated that Canadian employers are «happy» because Salvadorans are helping them achieve their goals more quickly. According to the Labor Minister, this indicates that the productivity level Salvadorans bring to Canadian companies is profitable.
«They are more effective and efficient workers. In one company, 25% of the workforce is Salvadoran, and the rest is from different parts of the world, but they told us that by 2024, 75% must be Salvadoran workers. Our workforce is gaining prominence,» he pointed out.
According to data provided by the minister, under the Labor Migration Program between the United States and Canada, approximately 10,000 workers have been placed, all with legal status, a social protection system, and many with healthcare coverage.
In addition, Minister Castro announced that he will travel next week to sign an agreement with a third country that will join the Labor Migration Program, a program that, as he concluded, «transforms the lives of our people.»