Tim Hortons says it intends to hire 10,000 “local” workers in the coming months and scale back its use of the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program, adding there could be more opportunities for younger Canadians to find a job.
This comes as youth unemployment shot up to over 14 per cent in April.
But at least one expert says this may only amount to a drop in the bucket when it comes to fighting youth unemployment in Canada.
“It’s not going to bring youth unemployment down to the adult unemployment levels,” says economics professor Moshe Lander at Concordia University.
“For anybody who thinks that, ‘Hey, 10,000 jobs will solve the youth unemployment problem’ — no way. There’s easily a million youth that could be using jobs right now.”
In a release sent out Monday, the coffee and doughnut chain said these hiring plans also include positions at 80 new locations to open this year across Canada. Tim Hortons also plans on renovating existing locations and overhauling their products and services.
The company says its hiring plans are, “part of the brand’s strong, ongoing commitment to hire locally, whenever possible, in every community we serve.”
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The Temporary Foreign Worker program allows businesses in Canada to hire some international workers to help fill gaps in the labour force, depending on the market and demand needs. These can be seen in agriculture, as well as some retail sectors — especially since the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the federal government has been gradually scaling back the number of TFW permits to match Canada’s struggling job market and amid a bigger push to rein in immigration, especially temporary immigration.
“However, today in 2026, with high youth unemployment nationally, lobbying for expanded access is no longer necessary.”
It is not clear how many of the new job openings will prioritize applications from youth Canadians, nor does it say how many additional TFWs could still be added.
It also isn’t clear how much these jobs will pay.
Tim Hortons says that of the roughly 110,000 employees across the company, about 4,000 hold positions under the TFW program.
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner spoke to reporters in Ottawa on Monday, and was asked about the announcement from Tim Hortons.
“I read the articles and the statements that that chain made, and they’re still asking for TFWs,” she said.
“That’s why we’re calling for the abolishing of the TFW program and replace it with a standalone program for seasonal agricultural labour that’s legitimately hard to fill.”
Lander says Tim Hortons may also looking out for its own interests as a new player, Dunkin’ Donuts, enters the market.
“No company does anything outside of the profit motive. So this is not an act of altruism,’ says Lander
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