7 News Belize

Hundreds Rush Opportunity to Work At McDonald’s In Canada
posted (December 5, 2012)
2012 figures say that unemployment in Belize is at 14.4 percent - the highest that it's been in over a decade.

And the well known fact that people desperately need work was amply demonstrated today when a company came from Canada to recruit workers for Macdonalds.

7news was there and here's what it looked like:

Jules Vasquez Reporting

Today, hundreds of people stood outside the Radisson for hours - without water of bathroom breaks - in fact - the line started to take shape at 6:00 am.

They are here for a job - and waiting for this man to call their name.

That's when they go up into the VIP room and fill out this work permit questionnaire - which will put them in a pool of available low skilled and semi-skilled labour for Western Canada:

Dr. Linda West - President, ACTYL
"We're here recruiting people to come to Canada because there's a shortage of workers in Canada, particularly in Saskatchewan and Alberta. Today, in Saskatchewan there are about 12,000 jobs going unfilled. In Alberta, there's probably 50,000 or 60,000 - I didn't look it up. So, between the 2 provinces we're probably 70,000 or 80,000 jobs going unfilled today. So, that's the major issue, but the other issue for McDonalds is that we have very few young people. Our birthrate is about 1.4%, so that we haven't replaced ourselves. So, our young adults are very few. The traditional McDonalds workforce, or fast food workforce has disappeared on us. So, we need other people to come in and fill those jobs."

Most of these persons are being recruited to work at McDonald's for minimum wage - which is about 9.50 to 10.00 US dollars an hour.

Dr. Linda West
"Yeah, so there's a lot of franchises in particular that are in need of McDonalds workers, but we've got lots of construction and trade jobs, and manufacturing jobs also. We recruit about 350 into various McDonalds organizations in Canada last year, and hoping to make half of those Belizeans next year."

So there are 150 vacancies and hundreds more are applying - but they will all go into a pool of available labour - and they'll know by next year:

Dr. Linda West
"This week, probably about 150, but lots of these resumes will go into a talent bank that will then maybe be filled up between now and next March. Our heaviest hiring time is actually March, when our spring comes for the construction trades."

ACTYL has recruited mainly in the Philippines, but also in the UK and Ireland, Jamaica and Mexico and now Belize:

Dr. Linda West
"And, the excellent English here, very good English, and the very good skill set that I am seeing here in Belizeans, and they're friendly, amazingly friendly people, so I think we'll get a very good worker for Canada from Belize."

But they're also looking for trained and minimally educated persons

Dr. Linda West
"You've got advantages if you've got a little more education, at least high school education. You've got a huge advantage if your English is very good. Restaurant work helps, and if you're into construction, any trade instruction. So, we've got carpenters, masons, dry wallers. They're all coming through."

Of course, these persons are only being hired as temporary labour - there's no guarantee of securing permanent residence or citizenship

Jules Vasquez
"Is anyone here laboring under a false illusion that well, if you get this job, you'll get immigration status, permanent residency status in Canada?"

Dr. Linda West
"No, in fact, I've got a sheet of paper says that what they're being offered is a temporary foreign worker status with work permit and visa, and we'll take the next steps to immigration if possible with them, right. If they don't have high school, and they don't have good English, it's really hard to take the next steps."

And apart from that, successful candidates have to live with the bitterly cold winters in Western Canada:

Dr. Linda West
"We can go 20, 30, even 40 degrees below at night, in the winter time."

That's Celsius, meaning about 70 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit below zero, but...

Dr. Linda West
"You really do adjust to that. It's a different world."

And these folks seemed ready for that world - no one wanted to speak on camera, but they want to work:

Dr. Linda West
"I think we give them, you know, because we deal with countries with really high unemployment."

Jules Vasquez
"Based on this first recruitment, just your first impression, is Belize a place that you foresee that you will be recruiting again?"

Dr. Linda West
"I'll be back. There's just no way I won't be back. This is an amazing group of people, friendly, great English, and lots of skill sets that we're really wanting. So, I am so sure that I will be back."

They saw over 250 applicants today and expect the same or more on Thursday and Friday when the interviews continue.

Sessions run from 10 am to 7:00 pm at the Radisson.

There is no fee for applying - and we checked the programme out; unlike other bogus Canadian work recruitment schemes which we've heard about before, this one - by all appearances - is legitimate.

See www.actyl.com/belize

Home | Archives | Downloads/Podcasts | Advertise | Contact Us

7 News Belize