Some 30,000 oil and gas jobs are available in Alberta, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Most of the people needed in Alberta are professionals for the oil and gas industry, as well as construction workers for infrastructure projects, says department secretary Marianito Roque.

This week Mr Roque and Alberta Ministry of Employment and Immigration chief Hector Goudreau signed an agreement to recruit and deploy overseas Filipino workers to help deal with the shortage in the oil and gas industry.

"Initially 10,000 Filipinos may immediately qualify for this recruitment program, but Alberta said they have a shortage of 30,000 workers for their oil and gas," Mr Roque states.

He adds that the DOLE is also looking into setting up oil and gas training for Filipinos and that rules and regulations for the skills upgrade will be reviewed.

Efforts to implement work agreements between the Philippines and Canadian provinces began early last month when Mr Roque created a team to deal with the implementation of the memoranda of understanding.

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