the CanadaVisa Team - 17 April, 2013
As of December 1, 2013, there were 338,189 temporary foreign workers in Canada. This number has increased significantly from 2005, when foreign workers numbered 140,668.
The majority of foreign workers enter Canada only after a Labour Market Opinion and Work Permit has been obtained for their position. A Labour Market Opinion, issued by Employment and Social Development Canada, grants a Canadian employer permission to hire outside of Canada. A Work Permit allows an employee, covered by an LMO, to perform work in Canada on a temporary basis.
According to the Globe and Mail, which drew information from Statistics Canada, foreign worker specializations are broken down into the following categories:
Sales and Service – 70,520
Primary Industry Occupations – 42,595
Trades, Transport, Equipment Operators, etc – 36,680
Art, Culture, Recreation, Sport – 16,300
Natural and Applied Sciences – 14, 125
Processing, Manufacturing and Utilities – 9,110
Management – 3,875
Business, Finance, and Administration – 2,885
Health – 2,540
Social Science, Government, Religion – 2,455