According to a recently released study by the Construction Sector Council (CSC), temporary foreign workers (TFWs) accounted for less than half of one percent of Canada’s construction workers: only 3,000 of the 1,019,500 people working in construction in 2005 were TFWs. However, the skills and knowledge they bring to the job are essential to our industry.
The CSC study points out that when Canadian construction companies look to TFWs as a source of labour, they reach out to many countries for recruitment purposes. Still, the majority of TFWs come to Canada from only a handful of countries.
- Of the 4,851 TFWs who worked in Canada’s construction industry in 2004/2005, 4,351 came from a total of 20 countries; 2,553 came from just four countries.
- The top four source countries were:
- United States (1,366)
- Philippines (439)
- United Kingdom (439)
- Germany (309)
Canadian-Mexican Labour Mobility Mechanism partnership
The Canadian and Mexican governments have partnered to create a new Labour Mobility Mechanism (LMM) that allows Canadian employers to hire Mexican workers for up to four years. Through the Mexican Secretariat of Labour and Social Welfare’s (STPS) 265 offices across Mexico, potential candidates are screened and must demonstrate work experience and an appropriate level of English/French. To register your labour needs directly, and for more information, visit the STPS’s Labour Mobility Mechanism website: http://temporary-employees.stps.gob.mx/lmm/.
