No more “temporary foreign workers [que les 59 820 actuels] could exert a negative influence on the wages of local workers,” according to a report from the Institut du Québec (IDQ) published today.
“We have to be vigilant about this. We are not saying that this reduces the wages of Quebec workers, but we must be vigilant on this issue,” specifies the Newspaper Daye Diallo, co-author of the report, senior economist at the Institut du Québec (IDQ).
“For certain professions, if there is less competition, there will be less inflation in salaries if we bring in labor from abroad,” explains its general director Emna Braham.
Emna Braham, general director of the Institut du Québec (IDQ), welcomes the contribution of TETs, but thinks that our SMEs must also focus on innovation to propel their growth.
Photo provided by the Institut du Québec
“If you significantly increase less-skilled immigration in a sector, there are also risks of slowing down certain automation transformations,” she adds.
The number 1 of the IDQ had already raised the red flag on this issue earlier in the year: several companies did not invest in automation when interest rates were low and today find themselves robotizing themselves high price.
That said, we are not yet seeing wages being pulled down from below, as they continue to rise rapidly due to acute shortages in many key sectors of the Quebec economy.
“Provided by IDQ”
Emna Braham also recalls that there are barely 59,820 workers in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (PTET), while those in the International Mobility Program (PMI) are around 107,615.
Eight times more
However, in recent years, workers in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) have increased faster than other categories.
“It is eight times higher than in 2015. As in the past, around a quarter (23%) of the permits granted by the PTET in 2023 were allocated to workers in the agricultural sector,” notes the report.
“Provided by IDQ”
In mid-February, The newspaper reported that foreign welders are increasingly coming to our factories as reinforcements. Their number has skyrocketed by 28% in the space of a year.
At Desjardins, this type of worker jumped by 14%, between 2021 and 2023, to 1,670, particularly to fill IT positions. At La Cage, some 154 cooks, chefs and sous-chefs have been working in the kitchen since 2021 and we are still expecting a good 166.
Construction delay
In crucial sectors such as construction, certain professions continue to become rare and the lack of workers is hitting many construction sites hard.
Four months ago, the Minister of Labor, Jean Boulet, said in an interview with Newspaper want more temporary foreign workers in construction.
Interview with Minister Jean Boulet on the modernization of the construction law in Quebec, Thursday September 28, 2023. STEVENS LEBLANC/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC/AGENCE QMI)
Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
In its report, the Institut du Québec (IDQ) also notes that Quebec has a way to go to catch up with Ontario in this sensitive sector of the economy.
According to the IDQ, this type of labor is grossly underutilized in construction.
Last year, even if temporary foreign workers made up 3% of Quebec workers, they were three times less numerous in construction, which contrasts with Ontario, observes the organization.
“The recognition of skills and the structure of the industry, made up of smaller players, make it more difficult for them to find international talent,” concludes Emna Braham of the IDQ.
► More than 1,566 Quebec companies asked the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI) to help them with their recruitment abroad last year.