Employment and wages are up throughout Canada as every province struggles with labour market shortages, creating the perfect opportunity for foreign nationals to get jobs and their permanent residency under economic immigration programs.

In his latest Regional Labour Market Report Card: Coast-to-Coast Tightness, BMO senior economist Robert Kavcic notes that Canadian employment rose in the second quarter of this year, from March to June, and Canada’s labour market is still very tight.

In those three months, employment rose by 11,900 jobs despite a slump in June and the unemployment rate fell to a record low of 4.9 per cent.

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“Regionally, labour market pressure is evident from coast to coast, with all provinces dealing with labour shortages and falling jobless rates,” notes Kavcic in that report.

“All provinces saw job growth in Q2, with the exception of Quebec, where employment slid by 48,000. Employment in that province was still up a sturdy 1.6 per cent from a year ago as of June, though that lags 4.2 per cent for all of Canada.”

Alberta’s jobless rate now matches the national average, the first time it has done so since December 2015, and Saskatchewan and Manitoba are sporting unemployment in the three-percent range. Prince Edward Island’s jobless rate has fallen sharply.

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With that tighter labour market, employers are being forced to cough up higher wages to attract the scant workers available and so wages are going up in nine of the 10 provinces, reports Kavcic.

“At the city level, performance is mixed across the country and among smaller and larger centres. St. Catharines, Guelph, and Oshawa continue to highlight strength further outside the core of Toronto (partly reflecting the pandemic shift out by households),” notes the economist.  

“Calgary and Edmonton have also moved steadily up the ranking alongside strength in Alberta’s economy.

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St. Catharines, Saskatoon and Guelph Dominate List Of Top Labour Market Performances In Q2

The Top 10 Canadian Cities For Labour Market Performance in the second quarter of this year were:

1. St. Catharines;
2. Saskatoon;
3. Guelph;
4. Halifax;
5. Oshawa;
6. Calgary;
7. Ottawa;
8. Edmonton;
9. Kelowna, and;
10. St. John’s.

The Bottom 10 Cities in Canada Based on Labour Market Performance in the second quarter of this year were, starting with the worst:

1. Saint John;
2. Peterborough;
3. Trois-Rivieres;
4. Sherbrooke;
5. Thunder Bay;
6. Regina;
7. Montreal;
8. Abbotsford;
9. Kitchener, and;
10. Victoria.

Employers hoping to hire a foreign national can avail themselves of this international talent and labour through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), and; the International Mobility Program (IMP).

TFWP and IMP Allow Employers To Hire Foreign Nationals To Work In Canada

Under normal circumstances, the Global Talent Stream (GTS), a part of the (TFWP), can lead to the granting of Canadian work permits and processing of visa applications within two weeks.

Employers can also bring in foreign nationals to fill available positions through the Express Entry system, which receives immigration applications online.

Applicants who meet eligibility criteria submit an online profile known as an Expression of interest (EOI), under one of three federal immigration programs or a participating provincial immigration program, to the Express Entry Pool.

The candidates’ profiles then are ranked against each other according to a points-based system called the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The highest-ranked candidates are considered for ITAs for permanent residence. Those receiving an ITA must quickly submit a full application and payment processing fees within a delay of 90 days.