A new Alberta government initiative bans hiring foreign workers in 29 high-skilled job categories to promote hiring qualified local workers. The Employer Liaison Service is a 2-year pilot program that is being watched across Canada, and will be evaluated quarterly and adjusted as needed.
The 29 job categories included in the new "refusal to process" list under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) are skilled trades considered high-wage occupations including:
- civil and mechanical engineers
- plumbers
- electricians
- carpenters
- construction millwrights
- heavy equipment mechanics
Read the complete list here.
According to CBC News,
of the nearly 10,000 temporary foreign workers who came to Alberta in 2016, only 400 were in the skilled employment categories now restricted by the federal and Alberta governments, according to Employment and Social Development Canada's open data portal.
