CFIB says temporary foreign workers actually create jobs
Posted March 9, 2014 4:40 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Our province lost over 10-thousand jobs last month, and that has many wondering if temporary foreign workers are still needed to fill vacant jobs. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business says it’s still a crucial immigration program–and a way to get some of those jobs back.
Richard Truscott with CFIB says Canada’s economy actually sees more jobs created by bringing in workers from other countries because company productivity goes up.
Despite criticism, Truscott says there are sectors where Canadians just aren’t applying, and that snowballs into more job losses. “On the skilled side it’s often in construction, in trucking, some of the so-called blue-collar jobs.”
As for controversy involving companies hiring foreign workers when Canadian workers were available, Truscott says that’s actually rare. “It certainly seems that a few bad apples have caused a lot of problems for many small businesses who are using the program to meet legitimate needs.”
As for Canadians who remain unemployed or underemployed, Truscott says that tends to be a mismatch in the economy of available jobs and skills.
