The Quebec government has allocated C$55 million to support employers wishing to hire temporary foreign workers. The acute labour shortage in the province is caused by a 20% reduction in immigration.
The Coalition for Quebec’s Future (Coalition Avenir Québec) will spend nearly C$55 million on assistance in hiring and integrating temporary workers for provincial enterprises. It is happening amid a reduction in permanent residency immigration by 20% from 52,000 to 42,000 people (as the party announced in its election program), despite protests in the business community.
There are almost 121,000 open job vacancies in Quebec and a record low unemployment rate of 4.9%.
As a result, employers turn to international temporary workers to meet the needs of the businesses. The number of work permits issued in Quebec grew by 36% in 2018: 17 685 permits were issued during the past year. The growth continues in 2019: 21% more permits were issued in the first quarter compared to the same period of the previous year.
Enterprises wishing to hire temporary foreign workers will receive C$21 million out of C$55 million. This money will be used to reimburse the costs of finding personnel, including international relocation, as well as the cost of providing temporary workers and their spouses with free access to all public employment services. Another C$34 million will be spent on the integration of Quebec immigrants, including visible minorities.
Labour Minister Jean Boulet said that to solve the problem of labour shortages, more and more enterprises are turning to the recruitment of temporary foreign workers.
Note that to hire a temporary worker from abroad, employers must get a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
It is also worth mentioning that Ontario is also recruiting temporary foreign workers with a job offer under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). At the end of April this year, applications for the foreign workers and international graduates streams were suspended. Now the stream for skilled workers is reopened due to the growing demand for foreign workers among the provincial employers.