CALGARY, AB – Under the June 2014 changes to Canada’s foreign worker program, fewer than four in 10 entrants into the country will be assessed on whether they are taking a Canadian’s job, according to a report released today by the Canada West Foundation.
The report, entitled Shedding Light on the TFW program, notes the overhaul created two distinct programs: the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, which temporarily fills specific jobs, and the International Mobility Program (IMP), which classifies entrants as temporary residents. IMPs do not require rigorous screening to ensure there are no Canadian candidates for the job.
The government reorganized data from the old TFWP to reflect the two new programs. It estimates that if the two programs existed in 2013, 137,533 workers (62 per cent) would have been IMPs, while the remaining 83,740 would have been temporary foreign workers (TFW).
The federal government introduced a sweeping overhaul of the TFWP in June 2014 following public controversy over media reports of TFWs replacing Canadian workers. Many businesses have expressed concern that tightened rules on the use of low-skilled foreign workers are placing an unnecessary burden on the Canadian economy, particularly in the service industry.
The TFWP has evolved to the point that foreign workers have become “a structural support to the economy,” writes Farahnaz Bandali, senior policy analyst with the Foundation’s Centre for Human Capital Policy.
“The changes are designed to ensure Canadians are first in line, particularly for low-wage jobs,” Bandali said. “It is an open question, however, whether Canadians are actually willing to take those jobs. Employers tell us they are deeply concerned.”
The report describes four phases in the TFWP’s history since 1973: high-skilled phase (1973-2002); low- and high-skilled phase (2002-2013); publicly controversial phase (2013-2014); and, the current dual system phase (since June 2014).