Foreign welders from all corners of the world come to breathe new life into our factories, which do not have the luxury of doing without these experienced workers, whose numbers have increased by 28% in just a short period of time.
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“My wife and son are in Brazil. They should arrive here next April. I'm happy to live in Quebec,” admits Edson Da Silva Batista, who arrived here on January 12 to work in the welding and bending plant of Quebec P&W Machinery.
Like Edson, these motivated workers come from Brazil, the Philippines, Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritius and even Colombia.
Between 2021 and 2022, their number increased by 385, or 28%, from 1,370 to 1,755, according to data from the Ministry of Immigration, Franciscanization and Integration (MIFI).
While this is only a fraction of the 35,215 temporary foreign work permit holders last year, this increase shows the extent to which their presence, today as in the past, shapes Quebec's economy outside of the agricultural world.
Benefits of $250,000
These welders are worth their weight in gold here. Recent Statistics Canada estimates suggest each employee would generate $250,000 in benefits.
“They are necessary in Quebec, otherwise there would probably be a relocation of factories outside Quebec and others that would close their doors,” even goes so far as to say that Carl Boily, director general of the sectoral labor committee for labor in industrial metal production , says (EXECUTE).
However, according to him, it is not a panacea as it is a “temporary” solution in a sector where labor problems are “permanent”.
“We age. “Not enough young people are coming back,” notes Maryse Camiré, project manager of the Réseau de la transformation musicale du Québec (RTMQ), which brings together companies in the metalworking industry.
Maryse Camiré, Project Manager of the Metal Transformation Network of Quebec (RTMQ) Provided by Maryse Camiré
According to collective agreements, welders here can earn between $39 and almost $43 per hour, but overtime can earn even more.
“It's great to talk about robotization, but not all companies can afford it,” says RMTQ's Maryse Camiré.
NUMBER OF PROFESSIONALS AND VACANCIES FOR MAIN OCCUPATIONS, provided by the Industrial Metalworking Workforce Sector Committee (PERFORM)
Twenty golden guys
In Quebec, Machinerie P&W employs about twenty out of a hundred foreign workers in the workshop. About ten of them are welders.
“I was in São Paulo last April. We had them take about ten practical tests and interviews. I kept four,” summarizes HR manager Sébastien Wagner.
Quebecer Bruno Paradis, president of the recruitment firm Sterna Mobilité Internationale, visited the Escola do Funileiro de São Paulo this week to find welders. Provided by Sterna Mobilité Internationale
In recent days, Le Journal contacted Quebecer Bruno Paradis, president of the recruiting firm Sterna Mobilité Internationale in Brazil, about an interested visit to the Escola do Funileiro in São Paulo.
“From May 20 to 24, we are holding an international recruiting fair between Brazil and Quebec, where we will begin the search for welders, CNC machinists, electrical mechanics and automotive and heavy vehicle mechanics,” he explained.
“Some people learn French beforehand. Once the contract is signed, we will take a 100-hour course so that they learn our language,” he continued.
About a hundred kilometers away, at Métal Sartigan in Saint-Georges, the factory could not function without its three dedicated and friendly Filipino welders.
“Despite the language barrier, they make an exceptional contribution to our community. The Cadao family, for example, volunteers at Moisson Beauce,” concludes Kate Kirouac, human resources manager at the company.
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