Why Temporary Foreign Workers Fill Jobs Canadian Youth Don't Want: CFIB Study

As Canadian youth continue to grapple with elevated unemployment rates, the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) has been criticized for exacerbating the issue. However, new research from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) suggests these claims are unfounded.

The CFIB's analysis reveals that the jobs most often filled by temporary foreign workers are precisely the ones young Canadians are least willing to take. These include overnight kitchen shifts, physically demanding outdoor work, and positions in rural or remote communities.

Key findings from the CFIB report:

• Harvesting labourers account for nearly a third (32%) of all TFWP positions, involving physically demanding, outdoor, and seasonal work.
• Other top jobs include nursery and greenhouse labourers, food service supervisors, cooks, and livestock labourers.
• Nine in 10 businesses relying on the TFWP say these positions cannot be filled with local employees.
• Only 19% of youth would relocate to a different city or town for a service-sector job, and just 8% would move to a small town or rural community.

CFIB President Dan Kelly stated: "The TFWP has become a convenient scapegoat for a tighter job market for Canadian youth, but the argument just doesn't hold up. Cutting the program doesn't hand jobs to youth, it creates staffing crises and puts even more Canadian jobs in jeopardy."

Despite calls from Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre to scrap the program, the CFIB argues that the TFWP is essential for small businesses, especially in rural areas. According to their data, 52% of small businesses say the TFWP has helped them stay open and continue employing Canadian workers, rising to 76% for hospitality businesses.

The federal government has already made changes to reduce the number of foreign worker permits, but the CFIB warns that further cuts could force many small businesses to close, leading to more job losses for Canadians.