How will the Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) increase help your business?
While all provinces in Canada must opt-in, gas station owners, convenience store and QSR operators must apply for a new Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA); They must also continue to demonstrate efforts to hire Canadians and permanent residents.
This temporary measure is anticipated to begin April 1,to March 31, 2027, and increases the allowable share of “low wage" TFWs from 10% to 15% for employers in eligible rural regions.
This program is only eligible for rural areas, defined as “any area outside of a Census Metropolitan Area (CMA)” and have a population of less than at least 50,000 but no more than 100,000. This means that gas stations and convenience stores owners must verify location eligibility using postal code tools from Statistics Canada before applying.
READ: Canada added 54,000 jobs in November, unemployment rate drops to 6.5%: StatCan
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business stated in a press release earlier this week, “Any measure that prevents businesses from losing experienced, trained workers is a positive one. While unemployment rates have ticked up in Canada, over half (52%) of small business owners using the program report their Temporary Foreign Workers help protect jobs for Canadians.”
Restaurants Canada urges its QSR operators to opt in, prioritize the restaurant sector, and apply the full 15% cap.