Foreign workers in Canada: Industry retention after transitioning to permanent residency among work permit holders for work purposes

Temporary foreign workers (TFWs) can play a long-lasting role in alleviating labour shortages because, on average, one-third of work permit holders transitioned to permanent residency (PR) within five years after receiving their initial work permit. However, not all TFWs remain in their initial industries after gaining PR. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the industry retention of TFWs after their PR transition by examining all TFWs who held paid employment in Canada as work permit holders for work purposes.