The number of temporary foreign workers arriving in Alberta has increased, according to a recent report from ATB Financial.

In the first five months of this year, the number of foreign workers coming to this province in western Canada has more than doubled compared to the same period in 2022.

If the influx continues at this pace, Alberta is expected to welcome more than 77,000 new foreign workers this year, an increase of 32,000 workers from last year. This was shown by an analysis of work permits issued by the Federal Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.

The 45,000 foreign workers who arrived in Alberta in 2022 represent a 42% increase over the number of arrivals in 2021.

Most foreign workers moving to Alberta do so under the International Mobility Program (IMP/PMI), which aims to "defend the economic and cultural interests of Canada."

Overall, this Canadian program for workers provides open work permits, meaning it allows them to work for any employer in Canada willing to hire them.

The ATB report also highlights the increase in the number of workers accepted under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP/PTET), designed to be a last resort for employers unable to find Canadian workers. Under this program, these workers received a closed work permit generally linking them to one employer.

For its part, the federal government stated that it has strengthened its regulatory framework to protect temporary foreign workers by enacting a series of regulatory amendments last fall.

The new amendments require all employers to provide the affected workers with information about their rights on Canadian soil, and they prohibit employers from charging recruitment fees to workers.

It is noteworthy that the federal government announced this week a new pilot project aimed at addressing the labor shortage among employers who hire temporary foreign workers.

As part of this "Recognized Employer Pilot Project" (REP), companies with a good record will only need to prove every three years, instead of every year and a half, that they need temporary foreign workers.

This pilot program will be implemented in two phases starting in September.

In the meantime, a temporary exemption has been renewed allowing employers in certain sectors to hire up to 30% of their workforce under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. This renewed exemption is set to expire next October.

Alberta is the fourth largest province in Canada by population, with approximately 4.7 million residents, and the third largest by economic size.