Temporary labour is a concept that has become more and more relevant in the past decade, especially in the past few years. The number of temporary workers employed by staffing companies tripled from 1984 to 1994, and its growth is one of the most important events that has occurred in labour markets recently. There has been a negative stigma around temporary staffing solutions – people are mainly scared of being replaced by temporary workers — but there are numerous benefits to temporary labour solutions, especially in the construction industry.

Temporary labour solutions are both economical and practical. They allow our partners to face the opportunities and meet the challenges that are shaping today’s industry. Constructive Solutions’ understanding of these challenges and the ability to quickly respond with integrated and comprehensive solutions puts us in unique positions to help.

Calling upon a temporary workforce can help to decrease margins to control and minimize cost pressures, helping our partners adapt to and keep up with the ever-changing highs and lows of demand in the construction industry. It also gives employers a more flexible workforce, leaving them in a better position to respond to the bumpy economy. A flexible workforce can provide employers with a response to changes in consumer demand, allowing Constructive Solutions to deliver customer-centric solutions that address the dynamic environment. All-in-all, temporary jobs from staffing and recruiting firms are playing an increasingly important role in the economic recovery. And let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room – why hire full-time staff if your fluctuating needs might only require part-time work?

Temporary labour solutions not only benefit employers, but they also benefit employees. Temporary work is perfect for highly skilled people who don’t want to be tied down to only one employer doing only one task. It allows workers to get diverse work experience while keeping their skills sharp and their resume alive. It allows for building and strengthening professional networks, and for working in various environments doing various tasks, especially in the never-static construction industry.

Temporary labour has become far more prominent in Edmonton, Calgary, and Okanagan. There are many temporary work recruiters (and more on the rise), and highly skilled employees make up a big chunk of the workforce in Edmonton and Calgary. It’s a staffing solution that’s constantly growing, and Constructive Solutions is proud to be a part of it by offering temporary workers to our partners in those areas. Temporary labour solutions benefit both the employer and the employee in both economical and practical ways, and it’s a great response to difficulties brought on during the economic recovery.

According to The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP)’s 2014 Crude Oil Forecast, oil sands are expected to drive oil production growth to 2030. Canadian oil production is projected to grow by an annual average of 4% (or 175,000 barrels) per day from now until then. That’s a significant and steady increase, and companies are starting to develop oil sands in response to the strong demand indications from the North American and global energy markets.

CAPP’s most recent forecast predicts that the total Canadian crude oil production will increase to 6.4 million barrels per day from 3.5 million barrels per day just last year in 2013. CAPP’s vice-president, Greg Stringham, says that because global demand for oil keeps increasing, Canada’s big reserves make it an attractive supply source not only for American markets, but also for markets beyond that. So naturally, their key priority is connecting Canadian supplies to these markets safely and competitively; when oil production increases, so does the need for more transportation. The projected growth in production depends on it. There are a lot of projects in different stages of implementation that address the transportation issue, and others are being considered – for example, pipelines to the East and West in Canada, and South to the United States.

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According to the Government of Canada, the Canadian born workforce is on a steady decline.  Employers across the country are experiencing skilled labour shortages, and Stats Canada foresees that before the middle of the next decade, almost all labour force growth will come from immigration (Government of Canada, 2014).

Enter the utilization of foreign recruitment to fill this gap – but how does the foreign recruitment process work in Canada?

 Perhaps it’s best to start off with a quick background. To begin with, only Canadian citizens and permanent residents have the right to work in Canada. Anyone who is not a Canadian permanent resident must obtain authorization from Citizenship & Immigration Canada (CIC) to work in Canada, and Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). These two departments admin the Temporary Foreign Worker (or TFW) program.

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