Foreign workers in Canada: Work permit holders versus employment income records, 2010 to 2022

Description: As the role of temporary foreign workers in Canada’s labour market has grown in significance, it has become essential to accurately measure their numbers for informing policy decisions. Two data sources have often been used to determine the number of temporary foreign workers: data on work permit holders released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and data based on tax administrative files that identify temporary residents with earnings. This article aims to evaluate the benefits and limitations of these two data sources and compare the trends in the number of temporary foreign workers derived from them.

Issue Number: 2023010

DOI: https://doi.org/10.25318/36280001202301000003-eng