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Guam contractors eye workforce on Saipan
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Posted on Aug 31 2008
Contractors in Guam gearing up for the pending military build up there are eying Saipan’s workforce to meet their need for skilled labor and will host a recruitment event here later this month.
Guam is preparing for the relocation of thousands of American armed forces personnel there from Okinawa, Japan. The effort will require a host of major construction projects to support it, such the building of new seaport infrastructure and housing.
“Right now, the amount of work we have on Guam is stable but we do anticipate that in the next couple of years it will increase very quickly,” said James Martinez, executive director of the Guam Contractors Association.
This anticipated construction boom has spawned an increased need for workers and, according to local labor activist Irene Tantiado, some contractors are already recruiting foreign workers from places like the Philippines to meet it.
Yet in an event slated for Sept. 13, Tantiado said local workers will get a chance to meet with GCA’s membership and apply for jobs in Guam. Contractors will have booths at the event, set to take place at American Memorial Park, and give workers insight on the type of work available, Tantiado said. Interpreters will also be on hand to help foreign workers apply.
“We’re telling everyone now because we want them to prepare their resumes and employment certification,” Tantiado said, noting skilled laborers will need three years of experience to meet the criteria for working in Guam.
Tantiado said the event will cater to workers in skilled fields like carpentry, electrical work, heavy equipment operation, and structural steel work. Martinez and Tantiado both noted, however, that foreign workers will have to return to the nations of origin to go through the process of getting the immigration approval they need to work in Guam.
