Temporary foreign worker numbers swell in 2007: Alberta takes large share

Recent Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) statistics indicate that the number of temporary foreign workers in Canada increased by 22 per cent from 2006 to 2007.  The most dramatic change was in Alberta, where the inflow of temporary workers now outnumbers the arrival of permanent residents.  There were over 37,000 temporary foreign workers in the province in 2007, a 66 per cent increase from the previous year.  Alberta is now home to almost one of every five temporary workers in Canada, while it maintains only 8.8 per cent of permanent immigrants in Canada. 

The increase in temporary foreign worker numbers is due in part to the chronic labour shortages that have plagued Alberta and other parts of Canada.  The Government of Canada has attempted to make it easier to hire workers for abroad on a temporary basis to fill positions that Canadian employers cannot fill with the local labour force.

Alberta has responded to the increase in temporary foreign workers by establishing two Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) advisory offices in Edmonton and Calgary to provide employment standards and help resolve occupational health and safety issues.  They just recently launched a pilot project to provide additional support services to temporary foreign workers in six Alberta cities.

“These services include orientation, which covers things like taking the bus, banking, grocery shopping and how to dress in cold weather. It will also provide referrals for housing, education, legal services, interpretation and job applications,” explained Jennifer Raimundo, spokesperson for the Alberta Ministry of Employment and Immigration.   These services are designed to enhance and compliment the work by the TFW worker advisory offices.

The increasing number of temporary foreign workers is troubling to some, who note that the focus should instead be on recruiting and retaining new permanent residents, who are more likely to make a lasting contribution to the Alberta work force and Alberta communities.

“I would prefer that we would have more permanent immigrants, there’s no doubt about that,” states Alberta Employment and Immigration Minister Hector Goudreau.