The number of temporary foreign workers arriving in Alberta is on the rise, a recent report from ATB Financial shows. 

In the first five months of the year, the number of foreign workers coming to Alberta was more than double what it was at the same point in 2022, according to the bank’s analysis of work permits issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. 

If the trend continues apace, Alberta is expected to welcome more than 77,000 new foreign workers this year, up from 45,000 in last year. 

“[These workers play] a very important role, especially in some industries like food and accommodation and culture,” said Mark Parsons, chief economist with ATB Financial. 

“We’ve seen a really, really big pickup in 2022 and in the early part of this year.”

Most workers arriving in Alberta are coming through the International Mobility Program, which is designed to “advance Canada’s broad economic and cultural interests” and which generally provides workers with open work permits, meaning they can work for any employer who will hire them. 

But there was also an increase in workers arriving through the temporary foreign worker program, which is designed to be a measure of last resort for employers who can’t find Canadian workers. Those arriving through this program have closed work permits and are generally tied to one employer. 

Jason Foster, a labour relations and human resources professor at Athabasca University, is concerned about the uptick in that program. 

“The last time we saw an influx like this, governments were unable to keep up with employment standards enforcement and health and safety enforcement and housing,” he said. 

“I’m worried that they are no more prepared this time than they were 20 years ago.”

‘Red tape’ reduction

The federal government, for its part, has said it’s beefed up its rules to protect temporary foreign workers through a series of regulatory amendments brought in last fall. Among other things, the new regulations require all employers to provide temporary foreign workers with information about their rights in Canada, and prohibit employers from charging recruitment fees. 

The government also announced a new pilot this week to cut red tape for “recognized employers” who have a clean track record with the temporary foreign worker program, and allow these employers to hire workers for a longer period of time. 

The move was cheered by business groups including the National Cattle Feeders Association. 

“It’s something that we’ve actually been asking for for quite a while,” said president and CEO Janice Tranberg. 

“[Employers] put out their advertisement for a job and just not get anybody applying, so having temporary foreign workers who actually want to come to Canada, who have experience and want to work in this industry is very important to our members.”

The pilot program will be rolled out in two phases beginning this September.

Meanwhile, a temporary exception that allows employers in certain fields to hire up to 30 per cent of their staff through the temporary foreign worker program has been renewed once already and is now set to expire in October.