As the federal temporary foreign worker program expands, employers in Alberta are relying on them more to fill labour gaps in business, finance and administration roles.In 2023, Alberta employers received the green light to hire 2,242 temporary foreign workers in business, finance and administration roles. That's compared to 166 clearances in 2018.
But the data reflects employers' rising interest in the program, and local labour shortages in the roles they're relying on temporary foreign workers to fill."It's a very interesting turn of events," said Cristina Schultz, the recruitment manager with About Staffing in Calgary, who has noticed more employers turning to temporary foreign workers for accounting and finance roles in particular.
She attributes it partially to an uptick in temporary contracts as companies keep a closer eye on their finances. Instead of hiring permanent staff, some are looking for people who can help out for just the right amount of time, she said. At the Business Council of Alberta, chief economist and vice president of policy Mike Holden says it's important to add that, historically, these jobs are harder to fill.shows there was a 250 per cent increase in job postings for accounting, insurance and related business-administrative occupations between 2019 and 2023.
Kelly Williams-Whitt says roughly 400 students graduate from MRU's bachelor of business administration program each year, with that number expected to rise in coming years due to expanded enrolment that began in 2022. On the other hand, employers can try to make those positions as attractive as possible for new grads, by doing things like increasing wages and offering flexible work arrangements.The business, finance and administration occupations saw the biggest growth in approvals for temporary foreign workers in Alberta, but they aren't the most common jobs for those workers in the province.