OTTAWA — The federal government is easing rules on temporary foreign workers in some areas of the economy desperately in need of employees.
The changes will allow employers to hire foreign workers for more low-wage jobs, and in areas where the unemployment rate remains high.
Higher-wage, highly skilled workers will also be able to secure three years of employment eligibility instead of two, which the government says would also give them an easier path to permanent residency.
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Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough says the changes provide short-term relief for companies struggling to fill vacancies, including some with dwindling pools of available workers.
She also says the changes are part of an ongoing effort to improve the foreign-worker program without putting downward pressure on wages.
The Liberals are under pressure to address the quality of work in a jobs market that has more than recovered from blow the COVID-19 pandemic dealt it two years ago.
RELATED IMAGESview larger image
Temporary foreign workers from Mexico plant strawberries on a farm in Mirabel, Que., Wednesday, May 6, 2020. The Mexican government says it will resume sending farm workers to Canada after securing a promise of better working conditions to curb outbreaks of COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
