There have been many stories in the media about businesses in certain industries and regions of Canada having to reduce operational hours or even close completely because of severe labour shortages. Here is just a short sample of some of these headlines…

“Whistler loses visitors as jobs go unfilled”

Town says crackdown on temporary foreign workers means loss of foreign-language ski instructors, forces bars and restaurants to limit hours. Read full story.

“Falcourt Inn restaurant faces closure with no chef”

One report warns that by 2020 N.S. will be short 3,000 tourism sector workers. Read full story.

“Chefs, hairstylists among the most in-demand professions”

Chefs, specialist physicians and hairstylists are among the 31 professions in high demand in the province, according to the Alberta government’s 2014 short-term employment forecast. Read full story.

“Town faces challenges with overhauled FWP”

Businesses says changes to foreign worker program could impact local economy. Read full story.

“Alberta highest for vacancy rate of unfilled jobs”

63,300 positions available in the province. Read full story.

“Labrador Jungle Jim’s could close without temporary foreign workers”

The owner of a restaurant in Happy Valley-Goose Bay says he’ll be forced to close the doors next week if he can’t hire temporary foreign workers to fill some positions. Read full story.

“Canada meat packers slow production due to worker shortage”

Canadian meat packers are short hundreds of workers, forcing plants to run at well below full capacity, the industry group Canadian Meat Council said. Read full story.

It’s becoming increasingly more difficult to use the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) to fill your labour shortages.

The costs are higher and the restrictions are greater. Policy makers are urging employers to try harder to hire Canadians. You know all too well how tough it can be to attract local talent to the hospitality and food service industry.

As a business, you may have alternatives to using temporary foreign workers. If you are looking for semi-skilled labour – then Mobilize may be the right program for your business. Mobilize is a structured “employment adventure” that has youth working in three different roles in three Canadian locations over the course of a year. Each placement is four months long, so candidates stay motivated and engaged.

The program costs less than the TFWP and causes far less hassle. Why wait 6‐12 months or longer for an LMIA to be approved when you can quickly get workers in place, hassle‐free.

See how the numbers stack up between using the TFWP and using Mobilize, click here.

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