Local business employs foreign workers
By Joan Janzen
joanjanzen@yahoo.com
ESTON - Cordell Goheen operates Owens & Sweitzer (1972) Ltd., a successful business in Eston. Much of that success can be attributed to its qualified and dedicated staff, many of whom have come from other countries.
Cordell explained that he started hiring foreign workers about ten years ago when it became challenging to find skilled workers within Canada, specifically rural Saskatchewan. He noted that this has been an ongoing issue for many similar industries across western Canada. According to Cordell, this shortage of tradespeople and skilled workers amplifies the competition to recruit suitable candidates.
Owens & Sweitzer’s first foreign worker recruitment began ten years ago when they needed to find an experienced automotive technician for the automotive portion of their business. “After many failed attempts to hire and find qualified technicians, we started researching further out with online advertisements, recruitment agencies and job boards,” Cordell said.
That search led them to an individual from the Philippines who had been employed for quite some time at an automotive dealership in Saudi Arabia. This individual had dreams and ambitions of securing employment in Canada, becoming a citizen, and bringing his family to Canada for continued education, security and enjoyment of Canada’s cultural benefits.
“The employee remained with our business for several years until our company started to shift away from automotive and focus on our agriculture sector,” he explained.
It became apparent to Cordell that many well-educated individuals are looking to secure employment in Canada to obtain security for their families and their livelihoods. Cordell said these individuals are looking for companies to support their journey into permanent residency and possibly citizenship.
“Unlike some of the ag producers and other industries that look to temporary foreign workers for relief, our business needs extend past achieving a temporary work permit. We aspire to find individuals that could possibly fill long-term needs, grow with the business and aid in our future success,” Cordell said. He learned from experience that gaining dedicated, long-term foreign workers would require some additional research. He realized they not only needed to seek skilled individuals who want to move to Canada, but they began seeking people who wanted to become long-term partners with their business, willing to expand their education and experience.
He realized other considerations come into play when hiring foreign workers, such as understanding the culture and the ability to transition to life in a small community in rural Saskatchewan. “The better the fit is both ways, between the employer and employee, the higher odds are things will mature to longer business relations,” Cordell explained.
“Ross Villalon is an example of a gentleman who secured a work ethic, education and experience while in his homeland. He set personal sights on new goals and lifestyles for himself and his family,” Cordell noted. “The decision to bring Ross to Eston and help him work through the process of obtaining and maintaining a permanent work permit, Canadian residency and recently Canadian citizenship is one that we as the employer have never regretted. There is work involved, research to be done, and expenses incurred. However, those are things that are great investments when it comes to employees that help fill serious needs of a business and continue to create a return for the business. All of this has successfully materialized at Owens & Sweitzer, as one of the Philippine employees recently obtained Canadian citizenship for himself and his family. Ross has not only become a respected member of our team and a valued technician to our customers, he and his family have become respected members of the community. The Villalon family is involved in the community with jobs, friends, sports, charities, and Ross is also an active volunteer fireman. The whole family makes us, as Ross’s employer, proud!”
Owens & Sweitzer celebrated the Villalon family’s citizenship and showed their pride in their accomplishment on social media. However, Ross isn’t the only foreign employee at Owens & Sweitzer. They currently have three employees that have relocated with their families from South Africa.
“As we work cooperatively along the process with current temporary work permits into permanent work permits, residency and possibly citizenship, we are grateful to have these individuals able to fill skilled-worker requirements and becoming such valuable members in and outside of our business,” Cordell said.
Over the past decade, Owens & Sweitzer has employed workers from the Philippines, South Africa, Hungary and Romania. “It’s always interesting to gain knowledge from these other cultures, gain an understanding of agriculture in their areas, and learn how similar businesses operate around the globe,” Cordell explained.
Their ag business also hires individuals from within Canada, which is a much simpler process. Still, Cordell noted that their business could not have sustained throughout the years without the help of foreign workers. Many people have asked about the process involved in hiring skilled workers, and Cordell said the process can be long and extensive.
“If you are considering hiring a foreign worker in Saskatchewan, you will need to research the process with both the provincial and federal governments,” Cordell explained. He outlined some of the steps involved.
Register for certification and compliance by the employer within the government program.
Have your employer eligibility determined within these programs, including meeting occupational health and safety standards and proving financial stability.
Obtaining approval to hire a foreign worker via the Sask. Immigration Nominee Program and/or Labour Market Impact Assessment.
Searching, interviewing and securing your applicant and assessing language barriers.
Preparing a job offer that covers all required information and meets wage medians.
Providing proper documentation that proves the applicant has the skills to meet the skilled labour required.
“All areas of the process come with a variety of waiting periods and require a lot of patience. We suggest working with a Licensed Immigration Consultant or Recruiter for expertise on the requirements as well as to help aid you in keeping all the procedures in alignment,” he further explained.
Most importantly, Cordell concluded that a key to creating happiness amongst foreign workers is to assure that they are treated equally, offered comparable wages, and shown mutual respect, coinciding with their colleagues within the business.
The management and staff at Owens & Sweitzer (1972) Ltd. congratulated and celebrated the recent citizenship of one of their team members - Ross Villalon and his family.
