Air Canada to add 227 jobs to Saint John contact centre

Air Canada plans to almost double its current workforce at the company’s Saint John business services centre.

The company announced on Monday it will be adding 227 full-time positions over the next five years.

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The hiring has begun with training sessions already underway.

“We already have 300 on staff [in Saint John] now so we want to move to that 500 objective as quickly as we can so you’re going to see hiring continuing here over the next number of months,” said company representative Kevin Howlett.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We already have 300 on staff [in Saint John] now so we want to move to that 500 objective as quickly as we can so you're going to see hiring continuing here over the next number of months," said company representative Kevin Howlett.

The centre first opened in Saint John in the mid-nineties and the additional employees will mean a $1 million renovation to the current space. Work on that renovation will begin next month.

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As it has in the past with Air Canada job creation announcements, the province is providing some incentives.

It, through Opportunities New Brunswick, will put forward up to $1.5 million in payroll rebates over a five-year period. Payroll rebates have become fairly commonplace in attracting businesses to the region and something the premier says is the best way to safeguard the public purse.

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“It certainly is a key enabler,” Howlett added.

Gallant is also quick to defend what many still call “call centre jobs,” adding they are an important part of the New Brunswick economy and employs about 18,000 people.

“There’s some stigma around the industry unfortunately and some of these things may have been more true in the past decades when it first started, but nowadays, we have very technical jobs, very complex jobs and jobs with a lot growth opportunities for the individual,” Gallant said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "There's some stigma around the industry unfortunately and some of these things may have been more true in the past decades when it first started, but nowadays, we have very technical jobs, very complex jobs and jobs with a lot growth opportunities for the individual," Gallant said.

Last week, Nordia announced its Saint John contact centre workforce was increasing by 140.