Atlantic region sees rapid rise in temporary foreign workers

Atlantic Provinces Economic Council report shows growth concentrated in lower-skill occupations

The number of temporary foreign workers in Atlantic Canada has more than tripled since 2005, with all four provinces seeing gains greater than the national increase of 140 per cent.

The Atlantic Provinces Economic Council notes in its new report card released on Wednesday that recent growth in the temporary foreign workers program has been concentrated in lower-skill occupations, such as fish plant workers and employees in the food service sector.

The number of temporary foreign workers in the Atlantic region grew to 10,900 in December 2012 from 3,500 in 2005, states the council.

By 2011, 23 per cent of temporary foreign workers in Atlantic Canada were in lower-skill occupations that did not require anything more than a high school diploma or two years of job-specific training.

“The number of TFWs employed in Atlantic fish plants grew from five in 2005 to 960 in 2012, with 90 per cent of these working in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island,” states the report.

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