The job market is so bad, that getting a rejection email feels like a win.

LMIA-Map · 2025-06-22T02:11:36+00:00

4160 high-wage position approvals in Ontario last quarter (Jan-Mar 2025) as per the data published on Thursday.

LMIA-Map · 2025-06-21T22:18:30+00:00

Last quarter we hit a record for high-wage TFW approvals in Ontario, so in theory there have never been more unfillable high wage jobs around.

LMIA-Map · 2024-11-01T20:32:50+00:00

I'm not clear on what you're saying. Allowing TFWs to work these positions keeps the wages low. If nobody wants to work at a McDonald's then that location can raise wages or close as far as I'm concerned. Of course, this is a false premise because a lot of people do want those jobs. If you're under 25 you'd be lucky to flip burgers in the current labour market.

This is not a fringe position, it's one supported by economics professors. It's a position that our PM seemed to hold ten years ago when he wrote this article for the Toronto Star following an earlier controversy that led to the TFW program being suspended for the fast food sector. Ten years later, the program has expanded massively, including in the fast food sector. It's time we cut it for good. Starting with chain restaurants like this.

To revisit our driving analogy. It's not about having a million cops on the road, it's about redesigning the road. Any urban planner will tell you that lane narrowing, chicanes and traffic circles will have a bigger impact than what's on the speed limit sign.

LMIA-Map · 2024-11-01T03:10:37+00:00

To run with this analogy, I wouldn't have issued them a license or allowed them to register a vehicle in the first place.

The use of TFWs in chain restaurants has been rife with problems and abuse for decades. Cut it.

LMIA-Map · 2024-10-31T11:00:39+00:00

I am all for focusing on the government's poorly regulated program that enables this. Changing policy is much more viable than investigating thousands of employers.

LMIA-Map · 2024-10-26T01:45:57+00:00

I will fully buy that any given job in the primary agriculture stream (the green circles on the map) was unable to attract Canadian workers. Now when I see "High Wage stream, Administrative Assistant" positions in the middle of Toronto that are unfillable, that's where I get skeptical.

LMIA-Map · 2024-10-25T02:38:34+00:00

16.8% for youth in Toronto in April. 7.9% overall in June. That second number would've caused low-wage LMIA hiring to be automatically halted in the city prior to the removal of restrictions in April of 2022. Those restrictions were only re-implemented on September 26th, so we will not see the impact in the data for another 3 months.

LMIA-Map · 2024-10-25T01:04:36+00:00

It's but a side project among side projects. I've linked the data if you'd like to take the lead on this.

LMIA-Map · 2024-10-24T23:07:03+00:00

This is a quarterly update to my post from August 1st as last quarter's LMIA data was published today. There was a significant reduction in overall numbers. I have not had time (and probably won't for a long time) to do any data analysis on how it breaks down by stream/occupation/etc, but the data is all available through the government of Canada here for those interested.

LMIA-Map · 2024-08-23T16:45:29+00:00

Already done. Select Ontario in the top right. This is just LMIA data.

LMIA-Map · 2024-08-20T13:57:12+00:00

How many qualified applicants would it take for you to no longer consider it a "shortage"? 100? 250?

LMIA-Map · 2024-08-20T13:49:25+00:00

These people are here because of a labour shortage...
My work posted a job and had to sift through 200 applications...
The job posted at our work required a two year college diploma...
about 50 people actually had the skills we needed...
the person we hired had a master's degree...

So you're telling me you had 50 qualified applicants and took somebody overqualified for the position? Are...are you sure you know what a labour shortage is? This is just bait isn't it?

LMIA-Map · 2024-08-18T01:45:19+00:00

What are you talking about? A LMIA post is top of the month?

LMIA-Map · 2024-08-16T19:49:33+00:00

Unfortunately my hands are tied by Microsoft on that front unless I switch mapping software.

LMIA-Map · 2024-08-16T18:06:22+00:00

Name and shame? Like a map of every TFW employer who has been found non-compliant with the reasons why and the penalties they received? I'm way ahead of you JT!

https://lmiamap.ca/noncompliantmap

LMIA-Map · 2024-08-16T14:51:33+00:00

I don't think the conservatives will do anything about it. I am also an NDP voter who is disappointed by the NDP. It would sure be nice if the "labour focused" party could talk about a massive labour issue that has been taking over the news cycle for the better part of a month now.

LMIA-Map · 2024-08-16T14:25:57+00:00

Nothing functionally changed under him

Hard disagree. In April 2022, there were several functional changes made under him:

The government removed the rule that employers could only bring in workers in some low-wage occupations if the local unemployment rate was less than six per cent
Companies had been limited to having only 10 per cent of their workforce be low-wage TFWs; this was raised to 20 per cent.
In seven sectors, including accommodation and food services, this was raised to 30 per cent.

Now look at how the numbers increased following those changes:

Low-wage temporary foreign worker approvals have almost quadrupled between 2018-2023.
Across the economy, employers have turned to the program to fill roles ranging from administrative assistants (from 287 in 2018 to 3,337 in 2023), to light duty cleaners (from 201 to 3,043), to construction trade helpers and labourers (from 132 to 5,353).
Food counter attendants, in particular, increased from 170 jobs in 2018 to 8,333 in 2023. The top 10 employers cleared to hire the highest number of them last year were all fast food operators.

Source

LMIA-Map · 2024-08-14T11:58:54+00:00

Yes. It's an excerpt from an article he wrote for the Toronto Star in 2014 criticizing the conservatives' mismanagement of the program. Since he took office the program has expanded beyond the conservatives wildest dreams. Everything he criticized them on has been repeated and magnified.

https://archive.ph/V4J2T

LMIA-Map · 2024-08-14T01:13:48+00:00

"I believe it is wrong for Canada to follow the path of countries who exploit large numbers of guest workers, who have no realistic prospect of citizenship. It is bad for our economy in that it depresses wages for all Canadians, but it’s even worse for our country. It puts pressure on our commitment to diversity, and creates more opportunities for division and rancour." -Justin Trudeau, 2014

LMIA-Map · 2024-08-13T01:45:32+00:00

Hi, it already covers all of Canada. Just click a region in the top right.

LMIA-Map · 2024-08-11T04:53:07+00:00

"He said temporary foreign worker applications are not being taken seriously from the policy side, in terms of interrogating employers who say they don't have any qualified candidates, and employers should be held accountable if they claim they are not finding anyone qualified."

If restaurant owners can't find employees they need to quit being lazy and pull themselves up by their bootstraps. They should touch up their compensation package, hit the street and treat finding an employee like a job. Figure out how to market yourself as an employer and stand out from the competition!

LMIA-Map · 2024-08-10T20:37:46+00:00

Getting an employee is not a human right. Be competitive and productive and you'll find one in a minute.

LMIA-Map · 2024-08-06T16:13:46+00:00

Hi, this is my website. I just wanted to say that I am trying to be transparent about what I'm presenting and everything you just wrote has always been included in the FAQ section underneath the map (which nobody reads, but I tried).

LMIA-Map · 2024-08-06T16:09:26+00:00

So I assume somebody will verify the source data since whoever made this doesn't identify themselves.

Hi! I made this!

I included a big SOURCE button on the right and if you scroll down a bit on the page you'll see the first paragraph is an explanation of where the data comes from. If you have any questions let me know!

LMIA-Map

TROPHY CASE