2013-04-30
The Ottawa Citizen
How many temporary foreign workers are there in Canada?
As of Dec. 1, 2012 there were 338,189 temporary foreign workers in Canada, more than double the number of temporary workers present a decade earlier. To compare, Canada welcomed just 257,515 immigrants in 2012.
It suggests an increased reliance on temporary labour without the burden of having to grant permanent residency.
Last year, about 160,000 immigrants arrived through the federal skilled worker program.
Where are temporary foreign workers coming from?
According to 2011 Citizenship and Immigration figures, the vast majority of temporary foreign workers come from the Philippines (45,450), the United States (35,637) and Mexico (21,401). Large numbers of temporary foreign workers also came from Australia (18,683), France (18,168), India (16,299), the U.K. (14,662), China (13,275) and Korea (10,871).
What types of jobs are they employed in?
Citizenship and Immigration figures break down the number of temporary foreign workers by occupational skill level. Of those who indicated a skill level in 2011, figures suggest the majority were clerical workers (65,448). Professionals accounted for 39,123 of the foreign workers admitted to Canada, followed by 32,462 skilled and technical workers, 16,856 managers and 16,542 labourers.
What's wrong with the program?
Critics say it's poorly managed - that the government is issuing favourable labour market opinions and work permits to companies that aren't doing enough to ensure no Canadian can do the job before looking outside the country. Royal Bank of Canada workers recently complained after their company decided to outsource their jobs to a third party that successfully hired foreigners to replace them. Meanwhile, a B.C. mining company recently raised controversy after being allowed to hire 201 Chinese miners. Canadian pilots have also long complained that charter airlines have been hiring temporary foreign pilots for the busy sun destination season because they didn't want to pay to train Canadian pilots. Critics have also raised concerns about a 5-to 15-percent pay differential for foreign workers introduced last year and revoked Monday.
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