Job Match Service Comes into Effect for Employers Hiring Temporary Foreign Workers

Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) must use the new system and invite potential hires who meet a certain threshold of compatibility with the job posting to apply for the position advertised.

The government of Canada calls this feature ‘Job Match’, and employers will easily be able to access the service through their personal dashboard in the Canada Job Bank.

The introduction of Job Match affects both high-wage and low-wage Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications. Employers hiring through the TFWP must first obtain a positive LMIA before a foreign worker may be hired. The issuance of a LMIA serves as proof that no Canadian citizen or permanent resident was ready, willing, and able to perform the job.

Not all foreign workers require a LMIA, as not all hiring of foreign workers is conducted through the TFWP. LMIA-exempt hiring situations are managed under the International Mobility Program (IMP), a broad category that includes initiatives such as the Intra-Company transfer program, the International Experience Canada (IEC) program, and recruitment through NAFTA, among others.

LMIA advertising requirements

Unless there is a way for an employer to hire a foreign worker under the IMP, and unless otherwise exempt from advertising in the preliminary process of obtaining a LMIA — as some hiring situations allow — employers are required to adhere to certain advertising requirements before applying for a LMIA.

As of August 28, employers, irrespective of province or territory, are required to advertise on Job Bank and conduct at least two additional methods of recruitment that are consistent with the occupation. Employers from a province or territory with a provincial or territorial job board must use Job Bank, but may also use the provincial or territorial job board as one of the additional recruitment methods.

High-wage and low-wage positions

The LMIA process is different depending on whether the position is classified as “high-wage” or “low-wage”. Jobs in which the employee is to be paid less than the provincial/territorial median wage for the occupation are considered low-wage, while those to be paid at or above the median are considered high-wage.

Employers hiring in a high-wage scenario will be required to invite all job seekers matched within the first 30 days of the job advertisement on Job Bank to apply for the position if they are rated four stars or more.

Employers hiring in a low-wage scenario will be required to invite all job seekers matched within the first 30 days of the job advertisement on Job Bank to apply for the position if they are rated two stars or more.

The government of Canada has provided a helpful video to explain how Job Match works. Employers log in to their Job Bank account, where they may see all the jobs posted for their business. A green button will be clearly visible for job postings for which anonymous potential hires have been matched. Job seeker profiles are then ranked according to the best-matched profiles. From here, it is simple to click on the worker’s profile and subsequently click a clearly-marked ‘Invite to apply’ button.

An activity report is available for each job posting, showing the number of profiles viewed and invitations sent, among other details.