Solving the labour shortage with international recruits

Les Residences des Bâtisseurs, a large group of retirement homes, is using international hiring strategies to address the issue

The Quebec-based group of residences known as Les Bâtisseurs, owns 15 certified seniors’ residences throughout the province of Quebec.

We’re here to tell you the story of the creative entrepreneurs who looked outside of the box to find real ways to fill the startling lack of senior support workers.

The idea that started it all

Les Bâtisseurs de Baie-Saint-Paul is lucky enough to have among its residents members of the les Petites Franciscaines de Marie religious community.
This community is still active on the island of Madagascar, where the resident sisters of Baie-Saint-Paul have carried out several humanitarian missions. This community believed firmly that they could fill the empty positions with people from Madagascar.

Madagascar
The Malagasy population at a glance: 25 million inhabitants–20% French speaking, 40% Christian, a young population, with an unemployment rate of 80% for the labour force (those 25 to 35 years old). Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world, with 75% of population living on less than $1.90 per day. (Source: worldbank.org)

At Les Bâtisseurs, as everywhere in Quebec, a lack of staff remains an ongoing issue.

Bringing a Human Resources Director on board

In 2019, Mr. Sébastien Gauthier, President of the Les Bâtisseurs Group, tackled the issue head on by hiring Érik Roby as Director of Human Resources.

Mr. Roby brought experience in international recruitment to the table. The group determined that it would need 58 support workers to serve all of its residences.

Mr. Roby contacted a recruitment agency, Solution mobilité internationale (SMI), for assistance with recruitment strategies. Together, they developed job postings for support workers based in Madagascar.

They received 1,150 applications.
They selected 200 of the original applications and 73 candidates were chosen carefully for the next step.

Interviews in Madagascar

Mr. Roby and SMI made their way to the capital of Madagascar, Antananarivo ,to interview candidates. They met people with exceptional know-how and skills. This included caregivers, who have a role similar to support workers, with impressive technical skills and knowledge of specific illnesses that are less known here including: rabies, malaria, plague, leprosy, as well as hypertension, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and the flu to name a few.

They hired 59* candidates, some of whom were doctors, and were later named “super support workers”. When they found out they were hired, there were lots of emotions. Candidates were crying tears of happiness, thankful to be chosen to come and work in Quebec.

Why 59?

*The final candidate who was selected for an interview, attended with his wife, who was also a support worker and she was waiting in the hotel lobby. The interviewers decided to hire them both. There were other couples who were chosen to work together to help the residents of Les Résidences des Bâtisseurs.

Novembre 2019

All the applications were managed with the help of a recruitment agency and an immigration lawyer. They were filed with the relevant government authorities in November 2019…

Integration

The candidates who were set to arrive in Quebec were given 2-year employer-specific work permits (a permit to work in a specific position for a single employer). (Source : Immigration Canada, Types of work permits).

With Érik Roby’s help, Reloc Québec was chosen to help the newcomers with integration and find housing. Employees were eager to organize integration committees.

As of April 24, 2020, we’re still anxiously awaiting their arrival…

If it weren’t for the COVID-19 pandemic, these workers would have been arriving any day now, soon on the job to help ensure the safety of the residents of the Les Résidences des Bâtisseurs by providing much-needed assistance to the existing staff.

Should these skilled workers be considered “essential workers”, in the same way that temporary foreign workers are?

Could something be chartered to allow them to help out in this challenging situation?

It’s a must.