As reported on CTV News, with the province facing a shortage of skilled labour the Coalition Avenir Quebec announced on Monday it would offer subsidies to companies looking to attract foreign workers.

The $54 million program will allow companies that need workers to attain subsidies for 50 per cent of their overseas recruitment missions, with a cap of $5,000. The provincial government will also pay up to $1,000 in moving expenses for newcomers, as well as up to 70 per cent of a new hire’s salary while a local company trains them to the province’s standards.

Nisrin AlYahya, an employability coordinator at La Maisonnee, said she hopes the new subsidies will help reduce the unemployment rate for new immigrants down from 11 per cent. The provincial average is five per cent.

“What does an employer want? He wants productivity. Who would take someone who is not efficient? But now they’re telling them ‘Here you go, you’ll have some money, you’ll be able to help them, give them some eventual possibilities of learning French to integrate into the team,” she said. “I think this is very important.”

The CAQ government, which ran on a platform of reducing Quebec’s immigration numbers by 10,000 per year, called attracting skilled workers a vital part of the economy.

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