Australia, Canada want US workers

Australia wants him.

The Naked Capitalist today notes that Canadian and Australian employers are hiring tens of thousands of skilled American workers to make up for a shortage in their countries.

So much for the problem of American workers lacking skills.

Naked Capitalist, linking to Newsmax, notes Australia this year began recruiting American plumbers, electricians and builders:

Australia has made a plea for American plumbers, electricians and builders to move downunder to fill chronic shortages of skilled workers as the economy struggles to keep up with a resources boom fuelled by demand from China. 

Industry projections from Australia’s employment department show Australia will need 1.3 million extra workers over the next five years, including almost 200,000 more workers for the construction sector. 

Australia will also need around 320,000 more health care and social assistance workers.
Australia has been running immigration seminars in India and Europe to attract skilled workers, and will now target the United States for the first time, with a skills expo set for Houston in Texas on May 19 and 20.

And Canada is targeting unemployed U.S. oil industry workers, according to OilPrice:

Canada is predicting a doubling of oil production by the end of this decade. This means it will have to secure its workforce to the tune of tens of thousands of new laborers. So if you want a job in the energy sector, try your northern neighbor. 

Since 2010 alone, Canadian officials say that some 35,000 US laborers have obtained permits to work in Canada, and there are plans in the works to make permits even easier to obtain. In the meantime, Canadian head hunters are stepping up their efforts at recruitment—taking advantage of the number of jobless in the US. 

Oh, and these jobs tend to come along with an attractive salary, free healthcare, stability and bonuses.

The Naked Capitalist concludes:

America’s continuing push to treat workers as disposable puts US companies at a disadvantage relative to employers in economies where for legal and cultural reasons, employees are treated better than in US. Now admittedly, this trend is taking place only in certain job categories, but twenty years ago, you would have been laughed out of the room if you had suggested that laborers like electricians and plumbers would have a better financial future if they left the US.