Thousands of Canadians turned out this weekend in search of jobs in Ireland, attending a jobs fair sponsored by FAS in St Johns, the capital of Newfoundland. The event marks the start of the 'Jobs Ireland' tour of North America which is designed to alleviate the skills shortage in some key areas of the economy. Organisers had expected about 2,000 people to attend the two day event in Newfoundland, but it is now estimated that over double that figure will turn up.
One of reasons FAS picked St Johns as the first venue in the North American tour was the town's strong ties to Ireland, but the depressed state of the local economy is also a factor. The Irish companies at the event were offering up to 2,000 vacancies in various high tech sectors and in the hotel and travel trade.
In what is a reverse in the traditional tide of emigration from Ireland to Canada, long queues formed in front of each of the Irish companies' stands within a few minutes of the fair official opening, says RTE Correspondent Mark Little who was at the event. The queues it seems are set to continue as at least 5,000 job seekers are now expected to register with FAS before the weekend is out.
The 'Jobs Ireland' tour will move across North America for the next two months. The last event of the tour will coincide with the arrival of a replica of the famine ship, 'Jeannie Johnston' - due to drop anchor at a port near Washington in late June.
