Canada's Job Crisis and Where It Will Lead
/Canada is viewed as a place full of opportunities, known for a good quality of life, a strong economy, and a friendly culture. However, many young Canadians, new immigrants, and seasoned workers are finding it increasingly difficult to secure stable jobs. We are dealing with a quiet job crisis — one that doesn’t always show up in the national unemployment numbers but is strongly felt by jobseekers.
Temporary Foreign Workers and Regular Canadians
Let’s start with a number: Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) make up about 1% of Canada’s workforce.
At first glance, that doesn’t seem like much. But the impact of TFWs isn’t just about how many there are — it’s about where they work and what jobs they take.
TFWs come to Canada to work in agriculture, food processing, hospitality, and service jobs — areas that used to offer steady income for students, and entry-level and part-time workers. Now, those job opportunities are disappearing. Employers prefer hiring TFWs because they are tied to their jobs through work visas, making them unlikely to leave, join unions, or ask for higher pay.
This creates a troubling trend: Canadian students and entry-level workers are being pushed out of jobs that once helped them gain experience and pay their bills. What used to be a summer job for a college student is now a full-time position for someone brought in from overseas. The situation is even worse when employers choose to hire TFWs when there are qualified Canadians available — and this still happens, even though there are government rules against it .
High school and college students usually take part-time or seasonal jobs in these areas to earn money and gain work experience. However, these jobs are becoming harder to find. More employers are hiring TFWs who are ready to work full-time for lower pay. Additionally, many older workers who were laid off are competing for these jobs too.
Automation and It’s Negatives
Automation, like self-checkout machines and app-based ordering, has also cut down on entry-level positions. As a result, students are ending up without jobs, stuck in low-paying roles, or doing unpaid internships. These don’t provide enough money or experience to help them move into long-term careers.
Automation is heavily affecting Canada’s job market by taking over entry-level jobs that high school and college students, depend on for experience and income. Jobs in retail, food service, manufacturing, and administrative support are being replaced by technologies like self-checkout machines, and AI software.
This leads to fewer jobs and more competition for the remaining positions. Therefore, young people are facing higher unemployment rates and struggling to find good jobs, leading to increased income inequality. Without measures to help workers learn new skills, protect their jobs, and create opportunities, automation will leave many people, especially the youth, without chances to succeed
What The Government Can Do
The Canadian government can improve the job situation by making changes in education, employment rights, improving immigration, and investing in the economy. One important step is to offer more vocational training, apprenticeships, and short courses to help people gain the skills needed in employment. Especially in important fields like healthcare, trades, and technology. Professionals who have been trained abroad should have faster and fairer processes to get their qualifications recognized in Canada, along with programs that help them adjust to local standards.
It's important to make work accessible by investing in affordable housing, childcare, and public transportation so that more people can join the workforce . To address youth unemployment, Canada should create more paid internships, cooperative education programs, and entrepreneurship opportunities, while making sure education aligns with job market demands.
Additionally, investing in green and digital industries will help create jobs that are relevant for the future and support a move towards a sustainable economy. Gathering data about the job market will help governments, schools, and workers plan to avoid mismatches between taught skills and job requirements. Changes to Employment Insurance and job services can help people transition to new jobs and get retrained more quickly. Finally, promoting job growth in various regions through remote work options and targeted immigration can help meet labor needs across the country. Together, these strategies will help build a job market in Canada that is more inclusive, flexible, and strong for everyone.
Conclusion
As a young person starting my career, I think Canada really needs to address the job crisis. It's getting tougher for students and recent graduates like me to find good jobs that pay well and help us build our futures. While hiring Temporary Foreign Workers and using technology have their benefits, we need to make sure there are enough opportunities for Canadian youth and new immigrants who are trying to make their way. The government should act now to invest in education, job training, and fair hiring practices. If we don’t make these changes, too many of us risk being left behind in a country that is supposed to offer opportunities but is becoming a place where those opportunities feel out of reach.
