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Which industries most commonly hire through Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) in 2025?
Executive summary
Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) is concentrated in a handful of sectors: agriculture and food processing remain the most TFW-dependent (TFW made up 18% of paid workers in agriculture in 2021), while accommodation and food services, construction, healthcare and other essential services also recruit large numbers of temporary workers (TFWP permit-holders were 4.1% of all paid workers nationally in 2021) [1]. Recent 2025 policy changes — higher wage thresholds, caps and regional restrictions — aim to narrow access and prioritize “essential” sectors such as agriculture, food processing, healthcare and technology [2] [3].
1. Where the bulk of TFWP hiring happens: agriculture and food processing lead
Statistics Canada’s industry breakdown shows temporary foreign workers concentrated in agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting — foreign workers made up 18% of paid workers in that sector in 2021 — and the program’s share of employment has grown nationally from 1.9% in 2011 to 4.1% in 2021 [1]. Multiple trade and industry accounts underline that agriculture and food processing are foundational users of TFW labour because of seasonal demand and chronic local shortages [1] [4]. Reporters and analysts describe these sectors as structurally dependent on TFWs for harvesting, processing and other labour-intensive tasks [4].
2. Hospitality and food service: large numbers, visible public debate
Accommodation and food services historically hire large numbers of temporary residents — one source cites accommodation and food services employing roughly 140,000 temporary residents (about 17% of all temporary foreign workers in a cited period) and gives examples of chains hiring dozens to hundreds of TFWs in recent years [5]. The sector’s reliance is driven by seasonal tourism, high turnover and low-wage positions; this is also the sector that has featured prominently in enforcement and public controversy over compliance [5] [4].
3. Construction, caregiving and healthcare: skilled and semi-skilled demand
Public and industry briefings identify construction and caregiving/healthcare among the sectors commonly using the TFWP to fill skills and labour gaps [6] [7]. Federal policy updates in 2025 explicitly prioritize “essential sectors” — including healthcare — when triaging applications and adapting program rules, signalling continued demand in these areas even as access tightens [2] [3].
4. Technology and high‑wage roles: growing but constrained by new thresholds
Government and industry commentary point to technology and other high-wage occupations as areas that can access the TFWP, especially under the high-wage stream. However, June 2025 wage-threshold increases and a 20% reported hike for the high-wage stream make TFW hiring in these occupations more selective and more expensive for employers [3] [2]. Policy framing suggests the program will concentrate more on selected regions and sectors deemed essential [2].
5. How 2025 reforms reshape which industries can hire
The federal reforms introduced in 2025 raise wage floors, impose regional restrictions on low-wage hiring (e.g., in areas with unemployment ≥6%), set caps and increase inspections — measures designed to reduce overall net permits and steer the program toward priority sectors [3] [8] [7]. Staffing-industry reporting lists agriculture, food processing, healthcare and technology as prioritized sectors under the overhaul [2]. These rules likely reduce hiring in some low-wage hospitality pockets while preserving access where shortages are acute [3] [2].
6. Numbers and trends: more nuance than single-year tallies
StatCan data show the TFWP’s role is growing: temporary foreign workers accounted for 4.1% of paid workers in 2021, up from 1.9% in 2011 [1]. Other reporting cites large absolute permit numbers in earlier years (over 183,000 TFW permits in 2023 is cited in commentary) and program targets that vary — for example a 2025 target figure (82,000 entries) is mentioned in analysis [3] [5]. Available sources do not offer a single, definitive 2025 industry ranking by hires, but multiple sources consistently name agriculture, food processing, accommodation/food services, construction and healthcare as the most common TFWP destinations [1] [5] [4] [2].
7. Competing perspectives and policy motivations
One set of commentators (industry groups and some analysts) argue the TFWP is indispensable for sectors facing real shortages and for Canada’s food supply and construction pipeline [6] [3]. Critics and enforcement reporting point to over-reliance, compliance failures and low penalties that do not deter repeat use in food service [4]. Government messaging on 2025 reforms frames the measures as protecting Canadian jobs and preventing exploitation by tightening wage rules and inspections — a rationale that will reduce access for some employers while preserving it for “essential” sectors [2] [7].
8. Limitations and what’s not settled in current reporting
Available sources do not provide a definitive, ranked list of industries by TFWP hires specifically for calendar year 2025; instead, official StatCan data cover up to 2021 with industry shares, while 2025 coverage comes as policy announcements, analyses and sectoral reporting that identify commonly affected sectors [1] [2] [3]. For a precise 2025 industry-by-industry breakdown, readers should consult updated IRCC/ESDC statistics or a new StatCan release once available [9].
If you want, I can draft a short table summarizing which sources name each sector (agriculture, food processing, accommodation/food services, construction, healthcare, technology) and the specific claims they make.