After years of pilfering people from around the world to fuel its booming economy, Calgary suddenly becomes the pilferee
It’s a reversal not without meaning: oil giant Saudi Aramco is holding a full-day job fair in Calgary today to recruit engineers. “Alberta’s economy, once a sponge that soaked up skilled workers, has cooled significantly since the boom years as funds for mega-projects in the oilsands have largely dried up amidst falling oil prices,” writes Sun Media’s Markus Ermisch. Although private engineering firms don’t typically advertise layoffs, Ermisch quotes Calgary’s Iqbal Ali, CEO of the Petro Staff International recruitment outfit, saying he believes “a few thousand” have recently been let go. “We’re processing a lot more qualified candidates as opposed to six months ago,” he says.