The ongoing staffing shortage in the healthcare sector throughout Canada, following the pandemic, has led some provincial government agencies and other organizations to increase their dependence on temporary foreign workers to fill positions in hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities nationwide.
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Although healthcare only accounts for a small percentage of the total temporary foreign worker program, data from the Canadian government analyzed by CBC News indicates that 4,336 foreign healthcare workers were authorized by the government to be hired in 2023. This accounted for approximately two percent of the overall number of temporary foreign worker positions approved that year.
In addition to patient service associates, nurse aides and orderlies, Canadian employers have also utilized the program to fill other roles, including family doctors and nurses.
“I think this is another example of the overall health-care workforce crisis,” said Ivy Bourgeault, who heads a network of researchers analyzing the issues faced by medical workers, known as the Canadian Health Workforce Network. According to Bourgeault, the staffing shortage caused by retirements and other issues is leading employers to seek innovative ways to recruit new healthcare workers.
The surge of hiring in the healthcare sector is indicated by the number of positions authorized via Labor Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs), which require employers to demonstrate that there are no qualified workers available in Canada to fill a job opening before a temporary foreign worker can be hired.
An example is the Vitalité Health Network, a New Brunswick regional health authority, which was authorized to hire 190 healthcare workers in 2023, but in an email to CBC News, it said it anticipates using less than 10% of those permits, partly because it currently relies on a different immigration program that is more focused on French speakers.
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