Recruitment of temporary foreign workers surges in Q4

Temporary Foreign Worker Program numbers from the fourth quarter of 2023 support the statement made by Immigration Minister Marc Miller about Canadian employers' obsession with hiring workers from outside the country.

In the last three months of last year, employers were approved to fill more than 81,000 positions through the program, reported The Globe and Mail, citing figures shared by the federal government.

It was the largest quarter for approvals since Ottawa made several employer-friendly changes to the program in the spring of 2022, according to the report.

The Q4 2023 TFW approvals pushed the total for the year to 240,000 in total, up 7.5% from 2022 and more than double what was permitted in 2018, noted The Globe and Mail.

“We have gotten addicted to temporary foreign workers,” said Marc Miller, minister of immigration, back in a February Bloomberg report.

Which companies are authorized to hire temporary foreign workers?

More than half of TFW approvals in the fourth quarter came from the program’s agriculture streams, with employers getting ready for seasonal work this summer, according to The Globe and Mail's report. Many of those companies are looking for general farm and greenhouse workers to harvest fruits and vegetables.

However, there was also an increase of the TFW program in the low-wage stream. Employers have increased their recruitment of cooks, retail clerks and cleaners paid low hourly wages, among other occupations in high demand, over the past two years, according to the report.

“For example, Joh2Stone Inc. – the operator of several McDonald’s Corp. franchises in Eastern Ontario – was approved in the fourth quarter to fill 78 food-service roles. Many Tim Hortons franchises also received approvals,” read part of The Globe and Mail’s report.

There were also some industries – accommodation and food services – that were temporarily permitted to hire up to 30% of their staff through the low-wage stream of the TFW program, up from a previous 10% cap. Most of the other industries were permanently bumped up to 20%, according to the report.

In February, a union called on the federal government to close some streams under the TFW program which, they claimed, is being exploited by low-wage employers. Specifically, the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) was referring to the Recognized Employer Pilot (REP) under TFW program.

Is Canada taking in too many immigrants?

By the end of 2023, foreign workers held roughly 189,000 permits through the TFW program – more than quadrupling from 2017, according to figures from the federal immigration department.

In March, the federal government announced it is limiting the use of the TFW program to those who absolutely cannot find Canadians who can fill job openings. Effective May 1, employers will need to explore every option before applying for a Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIA). This includes recruiting asylum seekers with valid work permits here in Canada.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has claimed that the growth in the number of temporary immigrants in Canada needs to be brought “under control”. 

Recently, Quebec Premier François Legault talked about holding a “referendum” on immigration if the federal government doesn’t act fast to control the rising number of temporary immigrants, said CTV News. The premier claims the number of immigrants is straining Quebec’s healthcare, education and housing systems.

However, employer group Conseil du patronat du Québec wants governments to make decisions based on the numbers and needs of the market, according to the report. With a rising aging population and more than 150,000 vacant job positions in the province, the organization said temporary immigration is needed to fill those spots.