Businesses across Canada have been bemoaning the lack of qualified workers across numerous industries, including those traditionally viewed as lower-skill occupations.

This issue has been ongoing for the past few years but came to a head in 2021 as the country eased its way out of the pandemic. Food service establishments, in particular, struggled to find suitable employees while trying to return to business as usual.

In response to these staffing challenges, temporary foreign worker and provincial nominee programs were looked to as convenient stop-gap solutions.

Temporary foreign workers account for a relatively large proportion of workers in accommodation and food services compared to other industries. Food service work is often precarious, characterized by part-time, temporary and low-paid positions.

Still, despite these efforts, many positions remained unfilled. This raises an important question: are these labor shortages real, or are there barriers preventing certain workers from securing interviews and filling employment gaps? Our forthcoming research set out to address this question.

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