POLO Eyes Toronto’s Emerging Construction Industry as a Market for OFWs

The Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) Attache Rachel Zozobrado-Nagayo disclosed on Friday, May 21, that the emerging construction sector in Toronto, Canada, will be needing Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) for their manpower requirements. 

The labor attache stated, “There is an industry, which I think can possibly recruit Filipino workers. The construction industry here is booming even during the pandemic.”

She also shared that several employers in Canada have been in contact with the POLO Canadian Office regarding the recruitment process of OFWs for the said industry. 

She noted that “Many employers are talking to us regarding the deployment process of our workers. They are looking at hiring Filipinos who are already here in Canada. So we always explain to them that Filipinos who are here are already employed.”

She added, “We encourage them to try to recruit from the Philippines, of course, through our licensed recruitment agencies.”

Besides essential health care workers (HCWs), Canadian employers are looking for truck drivers, farm and fish plant workers, and workers in the food industry and food production.

She also mentioned, “In Quebec, [employers] are looking for welders, chief operators, and then in the construction industry, we expect an increase in the demand since nobody in Canada would like to work in construction. That’s why they are going outside of Canada, so I believe it will be the reason for the demand on Filipino workers.”

At present, there are approximately 830,000 Filipinos residing in Canada. About 4,000 of them are in the country as OFWs and have been verified by POLO since 2018.