Who’s on Secondary? The Impact of Temporary Foreign Workers on Alberta Construction Employment Patterns
Abstract
IN 2007, THE ALBERTA GOVERNMENT and the Alberta construction industry developed a ten-year strategy to increase the participation of women, youth, Indigenous peoples, and immigrants in construction occupations. At the same time, construction employers began turning to temporary foreign workers (TFWS) as an alternative labour supply, and the number of TFWS working in Alberta construction jumped dramatically. This article examines the labour market effects of the influx of TFWS on employment rates of other marginalized groups in construction occupations. Drawing upon labour market segmentation theory, this study finds that the proportion of traditionally underrepresented workers in construction occupations was essentially unchanged over the study period. These groups of workers experienced higher-than-average employment volitility and remain a secondary source of labour supply. This study also finds that TFWS have become a new, hyperflexible source of secondary labour. The article discusses possible explanations for the findings and evaluates the effectiveness of the government’s ten-year strategy.
Notes
Location
Alberta
Key recommendations
Governments and industry need to develop more holistic approaches to recruiting underrepresented groups to overcome labour market segmentation
Key populations
Temporary foreign worker
Key findings
Employers in the construction industry in Alberta use TFWs as a fluid, secondary source of labour; Secondary labour refers to a segmented labour market that leads to increased worker vulnerability, less job security and worse working conditions; While TFW numbers fluctuate depending on labour market need, the number of other underrepresented groups (women, immigrants and Indigenous worker) remain low.
Gaps identified
NA
Community organizations
NA
Integration timeline
At what point during the integration process the study was conducted?
NA
Open-access – No