Alberta companies looking to hire temporary foreign workers in one of 29 high-skilled job categories will be directed to a new service that will match them with qualified local workers. Under the 24-month pilot program, those job categories will be placed on a "refusal to process" list within the temporary foreign worker program. Pool of unemployed workersThe job categories were selected because there is a sufficient pool of unemployed workers with those skills within Alberta. The initiative was announced in Edmonton Wednesday by Alberta Labour Minister Christina Gray. Gray said the program will be evaluated every quarter and future adjustments could be made to the job categories covered by the initiative.

Source: CBC News April 19, 2017 19:52 UTC