With job fair lineups regularly snaking around blocks and experienced professionals unable to secure roles despite applying to hundreds of them, it's safe to say the job market is pretty terrifying right now for anyone looking for any type of work in the Toronto area.

Population growth has been outpacing employment gains, pushing the city's unemployment rate to a dismal 7.4 per cent earlier this year (compared to Canada's 5.8 per cent). So, it's no wonder that residents are concerned to find how many local businesses are outsourcing labour to foreign workers.

A user-created map shared to Reddit last week shows which employers in the GTA have applied to hire overseas personnel via Labour Market Impact Assessments from 2023 on, which are supposed to be used only when there is "a need for a foreign worker to fill the job [because] no Canadian worker or permanent resident is available to do the job."

While it seems like the above would be a rare exception given the current work crisis, the map shows quite the opposite: a shocking number of firms trying to use LMIAs to hire thousands of staffers, from food service and retail workers to engineering technicians and administrative assistants.

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The data used is from Canada's Open Government Portal, the page explains, adding that "there have also been instances where employers have illegally sold their approved LMIA positions to workers."

The post has tacked up thousands of upvotes and a robust discussion of hundreds of comments, almost all from people who are angry and confused about why so many places are actively trying to recruit — and in many cases, successfully recruiting — people from outside of the country when so many here are desperately seeking jobs.

The federal government also drew attention to the issue this week, vowing to better enforce LMIA and Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program criteria that some employers have apparently been "abusing and misusing."

This could include looking into a company's layoff history, tightening eligibility, and raising fees.

Many are also concerned that the program is being used to outsource for so many low-wage and entry-level jobs rather than for skilled positions with more specific requirements — which could be part of the incentive for employers looking to pay as little as possible.

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Per the Canadian Press, Ottawa issued 88 per cent more TFW permits alone in 2023 than just four years earlier, for a total of 183,820.