CHARLOTTETOWN – Dec. 13, 2019 - RDÉE Prince Edward Island, through its LIENS project, has just produced a new economic kit aimed at attracting more Francophone immigrants to the province to fill the many labour shortages in various sectors of the economy. The kit also outlines economic opportunities for immigrants wishing to start a business on the Island.

The bilingual kit is an attractive tool available in both paper and digital (PDF) formats; it consists of eight booklets. The main booklet explains the importance of recruiting skilled workers from abroad and talks about the attractions and opportunities the province has to offer. The second booklet provides a general overview of the province's needs through statistics on the different sectors of the population. The other six booklets provide a brief overview of the economic situation, benefits and specific labour force needs of each of the Island's Acadian and Francophone regions.

So why put so much effort into attracting people from other countries? “Put simply, Prince Edward Island doesn’t have enough people to meet the growing demands of the workforce. Between 2016 and 2018, the number of people working on PEI expanded by 6.3 percent. The share of the working population over the age of 55 is growing much faster than that of younger workers,” explains the main booklet.

“There are 21,300 people in the labour force on PEI over the age of 55 or more than 25 percent of all workers. At the same time there are not nearly enough young people coming into the labour market to take their place. PEI needs to attract more people.”

PRIMARY SECTORS

The kit also explains that several industries on the Island are growing, creating a greater need for workers. These include agriculture, construction, manufacturing, professional services, education, accommodation and food services, among others.

The many advantages of moving to the Island are also listed; for example, bilingualism, the wide array of services available, the high quality of life with a lower cost of living, entertainment and recreation, low crime rates, access to health and wellness services, among many others.

A hard copy of the kit is available at RDÉE PEI offices in Wellington (Velma LeBlanc) and Charlottetown (Robert Maddix). Alternatively, the entire zipped kit or individual booklets can be downloaded in PDF format from the website www.rdeeipe.net/documentation/.

The kit was produced with general funding from the LIENS project, which comes from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the PEI Office of Immigration.

-30-

PHOTO: Velma LeBlanc, client information officer at the Wellington Rural Action Centre (RDÉE Prince Edward Island), shows the new kit that will be used to attract new Francophone immigrant workers and entrepreneurs to the Island.

For more information:
Velma LeBlanc
Client information officer
Wellington Rural Action Centre (RDÉE PEI)
(902) 854-3439, ext. 228
velma@rdeeipe.org