Nova Scotia immigrant hiring a boon or something else?

It can be challenging in construction to find good reliable workers. A Nova Scotia construction company appears to have solved the problem by utilising a pool of workers who are ready, willing and reliable.

Dexter Construction was recently honoured by the Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS) for hiring 21 immigrants and refugees in the Halifax region since 2013. Of those hired by Dexter, 14 work on the environmental side of the company, while six are in construction. All had safety and workplace training through the association’s Bridge to Work program. “These people have the skills that we as a province need to utilize, and if we don’t then it’s a waste for them and it’s a waste for us,” Ryan Kidney, human resources director for Dexter, said after the ceremony.

Of the six immigrants (some of whom are refugees) hired by Dexter Construction over two years ago, five are still working for the company, as reported recently in the Daily Commercial News.

Mr. Kidney commented further, “If we hired 15 (local) people, we might have only five the next year.”

That’s a 60 per cent loss of the workforce in 12 or less months and begs the question:
Why such a huge loss of local workers in this short a period?

It brings up other questions too.
Does Ontario and other provinces have such a pool of untapped workers available? Could this be a way of hiring people in order to reduce a company’s payroll expenses?
Does this take away work from local workers?
Are new immigrants and refugees more willing to tolerate mistreatment by employers out of fear of losing their prized jobs?

Food for thought. Please send me your comments.

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