Australia plan to continue recruiting skilled foreign workers.

The Department of Labour and Employment said on Sunday that in spite of the global financial crisis, South Australia would recruit Filipino workers to address a recurrent skills shortage in the Australian state.

Labour Secretary Marianito Roque said that preperations were underway for Philippine and South Australian corporation regarding the recruitment of Filipino workers. Roque said in a statement that the recruitment of OFWs to South Australia would be orderly, ethical and in line with the laws and policies of the Philippines and of Australia.

South Australia is the fourth largest of the six states and two territories of Australia.

Meanwhile, British Ambassador to the Philippines Peter Beckingham said that Filipinos would be much welcome to work in the United Kingdom in spite of the current financial crisis.

Beckingham said while speaking to reporters during the opening of the British consultancy firm International Student Advisors 4U Ltd. that overseas Filipino workers continued to make a valuable contribution to the United Kingdom by providing quality work.

In the recently released list, the British Borders and Immigration Agency mentioned shortages in engineering, doctors, nurses and teachers.

According to Canadian minister for immigration, Jason Kenney, Canada will maintain its policy of encouraging immigration in order to meet the labour shortages despite the worldwide financial crisis.

In an interview in Kiev on Friday, Kenney said that there is no doubt that the economic crisis is causing worry, but they believe that it would be counterproductive to cut off a labour supply from those sectors that are still growing.