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Dear John,
The substantial increase in temporary foreign workers in Canada — a nearly 20-fold increase over a recent 20-year period — has resulted in both benefits and costs for the economy.
Under the two temporary foreign worker programs (the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the International Mobility Program), the number of temporary foreign workers in Canada increased from 66,640 in 2000 to a staggering 1.27 million in 2023.
The positives of these programs include the obvious benefit to temporary foreign workers themselves, and the fact that they can fill labour shortages in Canada, sometimes at relatively low cost, and may permit Canadians to simultaneously move into more skilled areas professionally.
However, temporary foreign workers can sometimes be exploited. They can also displace some Canadian workers or put downward pressure on wages and thereby discourage capital investment.
Ultimately, more research is needed to estimate the economic impact of TFW immigration to facilitate evidence-based policy decisions.
Read the full study here, and be sure to share this one on social media.
Sincerely,
Niels Veldhuis
President
The Fraser Institute
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