ADVISORY: Software Development Worker Pilot Project

SHRC pilot designed to expedite the temporary entry of foreign, software development workers extended to December 31, 1998.

OTTAWA, March 1998/SHRC/- The Software Human Resource Council (SHRC) is pleased to announce that Canadian companies in need of temporary, highly skilled software development workers will be able to benefit from the Software Development Worker Pilot Project until December 31, 1998. The Canadian software industry has indicated to SHRC that it is pleased with this initiative and wants it to continue.

Given the current shortfall of senior, highly skilled software development workers, the advantage provided by the pilot is critical to the global competitiveness of Canadian companies. In other countries, as well as in Canada, companies are aggressively recruiting workers with these high-level skills, and Canadian employers maintain that an ability to expedite the issuance of the necessary employment authorizations represents an advantage in attracting these workers. To date, over 400
work authorizations have been issued under the Software Development Worker Pilot Project.

The pilot is designed to expedite the process of validating an employer's offer of employment by examining skill shortages and occupations as a whole, as opposed to the current method of dealing with individual job offers on a case-by-case basis at a Human Resources Centre Canada (HRCC). The intent of the pilot is to remove the delays associated with the job-specific validation process. The pilot also tests the use of a National Validation Letter issued by Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC), which is specific to seven software development jobs identified by industry, and deemed to be in short supply in Canada.

The partners in this initiative maintain that the entry of these workers into the Canadian labour market will have no negative impact on Canadian job seekers and workers. SHRC's partners in this initiative are Human Resource Development Canada (HRDC), Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), and Industry Canada.

For further information visit SHRC's web site at: www.shrc.ca