Jobs

Canada to Curb Foreign-Worker Influx After Jobless Rate Jump

Government bring back restrictions on hiring temporary staff
‘It’s not fair to Canadians struggling to find a good job’: PM

A worker harvests daffodils at Longview Farms in Saanichton, British Columbia, Canada, on Friday, March 12, 2021. Longview Farms, one of the biggest daffodil producers in Canada, was only able to bring in 11 temporary foreign workers this year, due to Covid-19 safety protocols, so is relying heavily on locals to fill the gap and bring the harvest in on time, Times Colonist reports.Photographer: James MacDonald/Bloomberg

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By Laura Dhillon Kane

August 26, 2024 at 12:30 PM UTC

Updated on

August 26, 2024 at 7:24 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Canada will restrict a program that allows companies to recruit low-wage foreign labor after the government was criticized for letting it grow too quickly, and for failing to stop the abuse of temporary workers.

The government is reversing two major changes it made in 2022 to address labor shortages, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday. Businesses are permitted to hire temporary foreign employees to fill low-wage jobs in at least 20% of their workforce. That limit will soon drop to 10% for most sectors, where it was before April 2022.