Citizenship and Immigration Canada - Government of Canada
Skip all menusSkip first menu  Français  Contact Us  Help  Search  Canada Site
 Home  About the
 Department		  Applications
 and Forms		  On-Line
 Services		  Other CIC
 Sites
 What’s New  Policy and
 Regulations		  Research
 and Statistics		  Media and
 Publications		  Visa Offices
Choose Canada
> to Immigrate
> to Study
> to Work
> to Visit
After You Arrive…
Sponsor Your Family
Refugees
Citizenship
Graphic image displaying a row of diverse faces of different ages and cultures
Section Title: Media and Publications
Summer 2004
The Monitor - Newsletter
Glossary of TermsPrevious IssuesContact The Monitor

Foreign Workers

In the first quarter, the flow of foreign workers changed little compared to the same period of 2003, dropping 1% to 18,034 people. To place the first quarter in perspective, it should be noted that winter flows of foreign workers are generally smaller than in the spring and summer months when Canada attracts seasonal agricultural workers.

Source Countries

While some changes in rank occurred, the top ten source countries for foreign workers were the same as in the first quarter of 2003. The United States continued to rank as the leading source country, with 3,140 entrants in the first quarter (see table 5). This represented a decline of 15% compared to the same quarter of 2003, and 17% of all foreign worker entrants. Mexico ranked second with 2,562 workers, a 4% increase. Mexico accounted for 14% of entrants for the quarter. The number of foreign workers from Mexico is slowly growing closer to the number from the United States; the gap between the two leading countries narrowed to the above figures from 20% (United States) and 14% (Mexico) in the first quarter of 2003.

Australia was the third largest source of foreign workers for the quarter. Canada took in 1,590 workers from Australia, a figure virtually unchanged from the same period in 2003. France ranked fourth overall, sending 1,450 workers, which represented a 23% increase over 2003. The Philippines continued a trend toward increasing prominence in foreign worker numbers, rising from seventh source country last year to fifth in the current quarter.

Chart 2: Foreign Workers, Top Five Countries of Origin:
Q1 2003 and Q1 2004

Chart 2: Foreign Workers, Top Five Countries of Origin: Q1 2003 and Q1 2004

Skill Levels

The number of entrants at different skill levels showed some changes over the first quarter of 2003 (see table 4). Workers at higher skill levels (0: managers, A: professionals, and B: skilled and technical) dropped, while the number of entrants at levels C (intermediate and clerical) and D (elemental and labour) increased. The largest single jump occurred at skill level C, which attracted an additional 601 people in the first quarter, for a total of 5,768. Thirty-two percent of workers were at this level, compared to 28% in the first quarter of 2003. Skill level C workers also continued to constitute the largest single group of foreign worker entrants, followed by skill levels A (4,617) and B (2,135).

Destination

Quebec was the only province to increase its intake of foreign workers. The province took in 10% more workers, for a total of 2,978 in the first quarter (see table 6). The city of Montréal was the destination for the greatest number of these entrants (2,120 people, or 71% of the provincial flow). Most of Quebec’s increase occurred at skill level C, a level which increased by 61% over the same quarter of 2003. This increase reflected a larger number of workers who came in under the Live-in Caregiver Program. Some 326 live-in caregivers were destined to Quebec in the first quarter of 2004, compared to only 130 in the same period of last year. The vast majority of the new entrants were from the Philippines.

Ontario, host to the largest number of foreign workers, registered a 1% drop, to a total of 8,784 in the first quarter. Toronto sustained a 10% drop, taking in almost 300 fewer workers than the first quarter of 2003. Other parts of the province, such as London, compensated for the Toronto decline.

The number of foreign workers headed to British Columbia remained virtually unchanged, with a flow of 3,512 people. Atlantic Canada attracted fewer foreign workers than in the previous year’s quarter, with provincial declines ranging from 17% in New Brunswick to 53% in Prince Edward Island. Generally, the number of workers headed to Atlantic Canada in the winter months is small, so the percentage declines should not be overemphasized.

line

Table 4
Foreign Worker Flows by Skill Level

Skill Level* 2003   2004   Difference
Total Q1 YTD Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 YTD YTD 2004 /
YTD 2003
Skill Level 0 2,946 802 802 723 820 601 768 768 -4%
Skill Level A 19,800 4,899 4,899 5,211 5,758 3,932 4,617 4,617 -6%
Skill Level B 10,844 2,359 2,359 3,709 2,989 1,787 2,135 2,135 -9%
Skill Level C 26,501 5,167 5,167 10,691 9,119 1,524 5,768 5,768 12%
Skill Level D 1,193 89 89 320 636 148 136 136 53%
Not Stated 20,867 4,850 4,850 6,200 4,529 5,288 4,610 4,610 -5%
Total 82,151 18,166 18,166 26,854 23,851 13,280 18,034 18,034 -1%

* National Occupational Classification (NOC)

Table 5
Foreign Worker Flows by Top Ten Source Countries

Country of Last Permanent Residence 2003   2004   Difference
Total Rank Q1 YTD Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 YTD Rank YTD 2004 /
YTD 2003
United States 15,403 1 3,677 3,677 4,314 4,390 3,022 3,140 3,140 1 -15%
Mexico 11,075 2 2,466 2,466 5,474 3,043 92 2,562 2,562 2 4%
Australia 5,910 3 1,594 1,594 1,300 915 2,101 1,590 1,590 3 0%
France 4,798 8 1,182 1,182 1,972 1,132 512 1,450 1,450 4 23%
Philippines 4,877 7 1,155 1,155 1,371 1,324 1,027 1,269 1,269 5 10%
Japan 5,426 6 1,155 1,155 2,030 1,319 922 1,229 1,229 6 6%
United Kingdom 5,859 5 1,250 1,250 1,456 1,409 1,744 1,158 1,158 7 -7%
Jamaica 5,901 4 810 810 2,089 2,953 49 967 967 8 19%
India 2,103 9 426 426 633 566 478 626 626 9 47%
Germany 1,864 10 435 435 457 711 261 442 442 10 2%
Total – Top Ten Only 63,216   14,150 14,150 21,096 17,762 10,208 14,433 14,433   2%
Total – Other Countries 18,935 4,016 4,016 5,758 6,089 3,072 3,601 3,601 -10%
Total 82,151 18,166 18,166 26,854 23,851 13,280 18,034 18,034 -1%

Table 6
Foreign Worker Flows by Destination

Province
Census Metropolitan Area		 2003   2004   Difference
Total Q1 YTD Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 YTD YTD 2004 /
YTD 2003
St. John’s 218 53 53 87 42 36 21 21 -60%
Other Newfoundland 1,203 309 309 265 346 283 213 213 -31%
Total Newfoundland 1,421 362 362 352 388 319 234 234 -35%
Total Prince Edward Island 113 19 19 29 54 11 9 9 -53%
Halifax 856 163 163 388 208 97 154 154 -6%
Other Nova Scotia 398 65 65 107 189 37 30 30 -54%
Total Nova Scotia 1,254 228 228 495 397 134 184 184 -19%
Saint John 97 23 23 19 32 23 14 14 -39%
Other New Brunswick 412 86 86 129 107 90 77 77 -10%
Total New Brunswick 509 109 109 148 139 113 91 91 -17%
Québec 1,018 255 255 359 283 121 272 272 7%
Montréal 8,702 1,894 1,894 3,259 2,287 1,262 2,120 2,120 12%
Ottawa – Gatineau (QC) 71 14 14 30 17 10 22 22 57%
Other Quebec 3,061 535 535 1,495 810 221 564 564 5%
Total Quebec 12,852 2,698 2,698 5,143 3,397 1,614 2,978 2,978 10%
Ottawa – Gatineau (ON) 1,796 443 443 535 513 305 431 431 -3%
Toronto 11,527 3,056 3,056 3,091 3,105 2,275 2,763 2,763 -10%
Hamilton 527 139 139 140 178 70 113 113 -19%
London 563 108 108 171 173 111 132 132 22%
Other Ontario 25,099 5,123 5,123 9,054 9,193 1,729 5,345 5,345 4%
Total Ontario 39,512 8,869 8,869 12,991 13,162 4,490 8,784 8,784 -1%
Winnipeg 795 188 188 256 228 123 182 182 -3%
Other Manitoba 458 87 87 162 145 64 94 94 8%
Total Manitoba 1,253 275 275 418 373 187 276 276 0%
Regina 194 44 44 52 56 42 30 30 -32%
Saskatoon 262 55 55 81 62 64 63 63 15%
Other Saskatchewan 448 76 76 143 146 83 67 67 -12%
Total Saskatchewan 904 175 175 276 264 189 160 160 -9%
Calgary 2,610 650 650 741 672 547 669 669 3%
Edmonton 1,490 372 372 413 451 254 307 307 -17%
Other Alberta 2,916 739 739 782 629 766 675 675 -9%
Total Alberta 7,016 1,761 1,761 1,936 1,752 1,567 1,651 1,651 -6%
Vancouver 11,912 2,632 2,632 3,673 2,822 2,785 2,628 2,628 0%
Victoria 186 49 49 43 59 35 32 32 -35%
Other British Columbia 4,314 844 844 1,040 867 1,563 852 852 1%
Total British Columbia 16,412 3,525 3,525 4,756 3,748 4,383 3,512 3,512 0%
Total Territories 257 48 48 75 73 61 47 47 -2%
Not Stated 648 97 97 235 104 212 108 108 11%
Total 82,151 18,166 18,166 26,854 23,851 13,280 18,034 18,034 -1%

Note: Destination coding is often amended after a record is entered in the
administrative system. As a result, the number of people destined for a census
metropolitan area is understated for the current quarter.

 

 

<< contents | previous | next >>
  line
Date Published: 2004-09-17 Return to top of page Important Notices