Login

USERNAME
PASSWORD

Become a Registered Guest Login Help Lost Password?

Landscape contractors have solved part of an ever-growing labor shortage with the introduction of Hispanic workers. These workers have a tremendous work ethic and have become valuable team members for companies, many of which rely on them almost completely for their production activities. Although a percentage of this work force is making its way up the ladder to assume more responsibilities, company owners are still in need of career-minded individuals to assume managerial positions.

Being a landscape contractor in Bermuda, we have been forced to look outside our island group for managers. Many of them have come from the United Kingdom. Recently, though, we have found Asia, more specifically India, to be a major resource for aspiring team leaders and managers.

Bermuda has a population of 65,000; the United States has upward of 300 million. India has a population of a billion and already has made its mark in the United States in the Silicon Valley and in the medical field. Just like Hispanic workers, Indians have a strong work ethic, and many of them come to Bermuda and the United States looking for career opportunities. Five years ago, we hired an Indian, Mohammed Farooqui, CLP, and today he is vice president of operations and Bermuda’s first Certified Landscape Professional.

The East has a huge untapped labor force, and since we brought on Mohammed, we have received a growing number of applicants from India and surrounding countries. We recently retained two new employees from Sri Lanka. They, too, have a tremendous work ethic and fit in especially well with our ongoing effort to raise professional standards in our industry.

As an ALCA member, we take advantage of recruiting opportunities, such as Student Career Days and other ALCA events. Student Career Days is a great recruiting ground, but when you think of it, there may be 700 or 800 students in attendance and 50 companies ready to swallow up the best and most qualified ones. If landscape contractors want to grow and to become even more successful, they will have to look beyond their current labor sources to find qualified individuals.

The reality is that there are not enough young people in the United States or, likewise, in Bermuda to support our growing industry. There are not enough qualified college graduates to go around, and training our Hispanic workers to assume managerial roles will take time. In the meantime, consider this. Between the United Kingdom and Asia, there are plenty of people who want to work here and who are very capable of doing an excellent job. Asians, in particular, are hungry for work. They are also looking for career opportunities and are inspired to go after the American Dream.

Recruiting on the international level is only as difficult as advertising over the Internet on a few key search engines. You will get a response, and if you hire an Indian or another Asian, chances are very good that the word will spread and more applicants will be forthcoming.

Asians represent one of the fastest growing population segments for those of us in the West. We pay better, and we offer career opportunities. We do not want to be left out in the cold while the medical and high-tech professions reap the benefits that this population has to offer. Get your name out there now and start recruiting overseas.

The following are just a few websites to assist your international recruiting efforts. You may advertise on these sites and place ads in newspapers through them. They are —
www.timesofindia.com
www.indianexpress.com
www.khaleejtimes.com
www.assignmentabroadtimes.com

By Jeff Sousa, Sousa’s Landscape Management Company, Ltd., Bermuda