A recent survey by a Quebec-based non-profit research group demonstrates the notable increase in the number of temporary workers in the region. The Institut du Quebec (IDQ) published research earlier this month that highlights the significant increase in the number of temporary residents in Quebec, which increased by 46% in 2023. Two important immigration initiatives, the International Mobility Program (IMP) and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), are principally responsible for this rise. In particular, the number of people in Quebec with temporary work permits increased dramatically over the previous year—to 167,435—nearly quadrupling the numbers recorded in 2015. Here we understand why Quebec’s quadrupling temporary worker numbers.
Additional insights into the surge of temporary residency in Quebec
By the end of 2023, there were 528,034 temporary residents in Quebec, according to the IDQ data. Subsequent examination of the report indicates that 117,745 international students—many of whom had work permits—were included in this cohort along with asylum applicants. These numbers were the subject of an article published on February 26, 2024, in the Montreal Gazette, along with the fact that nearly 167,000 people with temporary work permits worked in Quebec previous year.
To put things in perspective, the IDQ reports that 43,770 temporary foreign workers were employed throughout the province in 2015—a startling increase of more than 280% in just eight years.
According to the research, one reason for this noteworthy increase may be that, in contrast to permanent immigration restrictions, Quebec’s temporary immigration programs do not have explicit caps. Economists who wrote the February report that the IDQ released make this observation.
Limits on permanent immigration are set at around 50,000 per year, however there are no restrictions on temporary residents in Quebec. In fact, according to the IDQ, 1.8% of Quebec’s population was made up of new temporary immigrants in 2023.
The initiatives driving this upsurge
The research also emphasizes how the TFWP and the IMP were the main drivers of Quebec’s spike in temporary residency. While foreign graduates are among the temporary residents brought to the province by the IMP, a federal effort, local firms can hire foreign nationals under the TFWP to fill employment shortages.
With 107,615 permits issued, the IMP was Quebec’s biggest source of temporary foreign workers in terms of program breakdown in 2023. In the meantime, 59,820 temporary immigrants were assisted by Quebec’s TFWP in 2018.
Impact of Temporary Residence Growth on Employment in Quebec
According to the Institut du Quebec (IDQ), immigration will be the main factor driving Quebec’s labor force growth between 2015 and 2023. During this time, 54,000 workers who were born in Canada left the province’s employment, and 384,000 newcomers—consisting of 272,000 permanent immigrants and 112,000 temporary residents—entered it.
The IDQ highlights that in 2023 alone, newcomers added over 100,000 working-age people to Quebec’s population, almost three times the average yearly growth that was observed between 2015 and 2022.
The IDQ expresses worries about this trend in spite of these seeming advantages. First of all, it states that there is no explicit requirement for the International Mobility Program (IMP) to handle job openings. The report also notes that in 2023, almost a quarter (23%) of participants in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) had jobs in agriculture. This proves that the flood of temporary immigrants hasn’t solved the labor shortages in vital industries like construction and healthcare.
With over 45,000 and 10,000 open positions in the construction and healthcare industries, respectively, as of Q3 2023, Quebec is facing a labor shortage amid an aging population and pressing efforts to address the housing crisis. The IDQ notes that there is a noticeable underrepresentation of temporary foreign workers in certain fields.
Executive director of IDQ and one of the report’s co-authors, Emna Braham, notes that earnings and working conditions are just two of the aspects that determine appeal, but she also draws attention to the small number of temporary immigrants in the healthcare industry.
Furthermore, the province’s economy is slowing down at the same time as this expansion, as shown by the rise in the jobless rate from 4% to 4.5%.
Quebec Government Response to Surge in Temporary Residence Growth
Braham observes a marked upsurge in temporary immigration and a sense of Quebec losing power, especially in underdeveloped areas like public services and housing.
In order to alleviate labor shortages in these vital industries, she thinks that future international recruitment efforts should concentrate on healthcare and construction. She speculates that possibly there hasn’t been enough coordination on immigration laws between Quebec and the federal government.
Furthermore, Braham highlights the necessity of improving the acceptance of foreign degrees and expertise in the fields of construction and healthcare. She pushes for better data gathering on temporary immigration so that governments may create policies that are more closely in line with the needs of the economy.
Collaboration Between IRCC and Quebec Government in Facilitating Temporary Foreign Worker Immigration
When recruiting foreign skilled workers on temporary work permits, firms based in Quebec are nevertheless required to follow specific procedures, even if the province enjoys exceptional autonomy in immigration rules when compared to the rest of Canada.
Unless exempted, obtaining a Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from ESDC is one of the essential needs. To ascertain the effect of hiring a foreign worker on the local labor market, this assessment is required.
Furthermore, employers located in Quebec need to get a Certificat d’Acceptation du Quebec (QAQ) from the Quebec Ministry of Immigration, De Francisation, and Integration (MIFI). This document certifies that the hiring of a foreign worker is in line with Service Canada’s analysis, which shows that it will have either a positive or neutral impact on the local labor market.
It is noteworthy that temporary positions in Quebec that are anticipated to last for 30 days or less do not necessitate CAQs.
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