The minister of Immigration is reporting success in addressing a number of areas of concern related to attracting and recruiting newcomers to the province.

Minister Lin Paddock recently met with his federal counterpart to find solutions to a number of issues.

He says immigration is needed in particular to fill gaps in health care, early childhood education and the tourism industry.

Minister Paddock says they now have greater flexibility in recruiting trained professionals.

“There was a requirement that 75 per cent of candidates had to be temporary residents in Canada…that’s been lifted, and we now have greater flexibility to address our labour shortages through targeted, international recruitment. Particularly in health care.”

He says Newfoundland and Labrador also successfully lobbied, along with its Atlantic Canadian counterparts, in rolling back temporary foreign worker restrictions.

He says the 10 per cent restriction has been expanded, allowing employers in rural areas where workers are harder to find to hire up to 15 per cent of their staff. “That will provide some relief to a number of our small hospitality operators” says Paddock.