From fast food to construction, employers turn more and more to temporary foreign workers
CBC
Businesses' demand for temporary foreign workers has surged across the country in recent years, with employers given the green light to hire more than double the people through the federal program last year as they did five years ago.
The program is designed to provide short-term relief to employers as a last resort, but has been scrutinized for its potential knock-on effects to the broader economy and the vulnerable position in which it can place workers.
Last year, employers were cleared to hire 239,646 temporary foreign workers, about the population of Regina. That's up from 108,988 in 2018, according to figures published by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).
The program's growth coincided with the government loosening hiring restrictions to help businesses with post-pandemic labour shortages. Some economists criticized that move, saying it undermined healthy competition for workers in a market economy.
"All we hear about are labour shortages, [but] we have to begin to recognize that this really is a self-serving narrative mostly coming from corporate Canada," said Mikal Skuterud, a labour economics professor at the University of Waterloo.
As the program has expanded, there's been interest from a wide range of industries.
CBC News analyzed federal data about the number of positions on positive labour market impact assessments (LMIAs), a document proving there are no Canadians available to take a job.
The numbers show that while farm and greenhouse workers have consistently been the program's most in-demand roles, demand for other jobs is on the rise.
Across the economy, employers have turned to the program to fill roles ranging from administrative assistants (from 287 in 2018 to 3,337 in 2023), to light duty cleaners (from 201 to 3,043), to construction trade helpers and labourers (from 132 to 5,353).
An increase in positive LMIA positions doesn't necessarily mean there are more temporary foreign workers in the country. For example, an approved employer might change their mind before actually hiring one.
But its reflects employers' rising interest in the program — which, by any metric, is growing. Work permit data published by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada shows the number of temporary foreign workers in the country last year hit its highest point since records began in 2015.
Fast food chains and restaurants are a major source of demand for temporary foreign workers. After farm and greenhouse workers, the roles with the most approvals last year were cooks, food service supervisors, food counter attendants and kitchen helpers.
Food counter attendants, in particular, increased from 170 jobs in 2018 to 8,333 in 2023. The top 10 employers cleared to hire the highest number of them last year were all fast food operators.
The relationship between the food service industry and the temporary foreign worker program has at times been fraught. Roughly a decade ago, controversy around the industry's use of the program led the federal government to impose a temporary moratorium on that sector.
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