Foreigners fear for jobs in recession

They came here by the tens of thousands to do the jobs we didn't want. They cleaned our toilets, emptied our garbage, made our beds and served us our food.

 Now, there is a palpable nervousness among the nearly 40,000 temporary foreign workers living in Alberta. With Canadians getting laid off and seeking work, foreign workers fear they will be sent home. 

There never were any guarantees. They were brought here, after all, on a temporary basis. But that doesn't make it any easier for people like Catalino Cruzana, 25, a Filipino who works at a south side car detailing company. 

"I like it here. I would like to stay," says Cruzana. 

His employer, Zoran Djuza, wants him to stay, too. Like many Alberta business owners, Djuza couldn't find reliable workers as he struggled to build up his car detailing business with his wife, Vesna. Many of the people hired were lazy, unmotivated and would quit without notice. The only guy he could really count on was Luis Fiarawe, a landed immigrant from the Philippines. 

"I hired these six young local guys and went away for two weeks. When I came back, jobs weren't done, cars were damaged. I looked at the work orders and Luis had done 70 per cent of the work. I let them all go." 

In their place, he hired more of Fiarawe's countrymen through a placement agency that specialized in Filipino workers. 

"I thought if they were half as good as Luis, it would be worth a try." Djuza was astounded at the result. "These guys, they have tremendous work ethic. They don't complain. They stay until the job is done. They'll work Saturdays and are happy for all the overtime they can get. What we use to do in a month, we now do in a week," he says.With his mostly Filipino crew, Djuza was able to expand his business. 

His company, Detailz, got contracts with high-end auto dealerships that are now his bread and butter. But with protectionism on the rise and the government's "Canadians first" attitude, Djuza is doing all he can to keep his Filipino workers, including sponsoring their families. If the economy begins to turn around in nine months or a year as some predict, Djuza doesn't want to be caught in the same situation he was before, struggling to find workers in a tight labour market. 

Employers interested in hiring foreign workers must first advertise the job to Canadians. If no Canadians apply, the employer can offer the job to a foreign worker by completing a Labour Market Opinion application--a time-consuming process. For Djuza, such a scenario could put stress on his business if the economy rebounds.Alberta posted nearly 16,000 job losses in December, according to Statistics Canada, and 3,700 in November. 

The weakening economy is increasing pressure on the government to halt a program that has brought tens of thousands of temporary foreign workers to the province. Alberta counted 37,257 temporary foreign workers in 2007, up from 22,105 the year before.Numbers for 2008 are not yet available. 

Liberal MLA Hugh MacDonald said he plans to push for a suspension of the temporary foreign worker program later this year. 

The foreign worker unit of Service Canada is also running more checks on Canadian companies to ensure they are continuing to recruit Canadians, according to Catherine Watson, a long time co-coordinator of international recruitment for the manufacturing and oil and gas sectors. Watson says foreign workers are clearly nervous. 

"Layoffs are happening and companies are downsizing and there is certainly a worried feeling out there. The word on the street is that this is happening. Foreign workers have connections within their communities and they talk to one another. They want to know if they are going to be sent back. Unfortunately, the answer is yes. If there are layoffs, you will be the first ones to go." 

Watson sympathizes with them. Her great grandparents were Filipino and she has spent time in the country. 

"It is very much subsistence living conditions," she says.However, it's not all grim news for foreign workers and employers like Djuza. 

"Likely, he could make a business case," says Watson. "As long as he is continuing to advertise and recruit Canadians, he should be OK."But employers, she says, need to look at their hiring practices and their ratio of foreign workers to Canadian workers. 

Djuza says he continues to advertise without success. Two months ago, he ran a 30-day ad for a sales agent and received no applications. He also advertised for people with car detailing experience and got applications from a dishwasher and an electrician. One was from Newfoundland, the other from Ontario. 

Car detailing can be grimy. "You find some gross stuff," says Fiarawe. "Dead mice, vomit, occasionally blood. Sometimes you have to wear rubber gloves."Alfie Politico, one of Djuza's Filipino workers, is happy to do the work. He has been here nearly a year and hasn't seen his wife and daughter since he arrived. Djuza is sponsoring them to join him. 

"Before I got these guys, I would be in the back working," Djuza says. "If a customer came in,I'd go up front, all dirty and sweaty. Now, I'm finally able to manage the business the way it should be run. I finally feel like a business owner." 

BY ROBERT REMINGTON, CALGARY HERALD FEBRUARY 6, 2009