Interest from international job seekers in Canadian employment has fallen dramatically, a trend that could reshape labour markets and hiring strategies for employers across the country, according to new research from Indeed.
Foreign job seekers’ interest in Canadian positions reached its peak of 7.8 per cent in July 2023 before experiencing one of the steepest declines among major countries studied. The drop coincides with significant policy changes aimed at curbing the number of non-permanent residents amid growing housing and infrastructure pressures.
“The downward trend throughout late 2023, 2024, and into 2025 coincides with a significant shift in Canadian immigration policy,” the report noted. This includes a cap on international student admissions that led to a 43 per cent drop in student visa approvals in 2024, restrictions on work permits for dependents, and a phaseout of temporary post-pandemic worker policies.
When indexed to August 2023’s global peak in foreign job seeker interest, Canada experienced the sharpest decline by the end of 2024, with foreign interest dropping to approximately half of what it was in fall 2023.
These findings have substantial implications for Canadian employers who have increasingly relied on international talent to address labour shortages across various sectors.
South of the border, the United States has experienced similar but less dramatic trends, with foreign interest in U.S. jobs beginning to decline earlier than the global average. Interest in American positions peaked at 2.4 per cent in August 2023 before falling to 1.7 per cent by March 2025.
The U.S. decline coincided with heightened anti-immigrant rhetoric during the 2024 presidential election and subsequent policy changes in the early months of the new administration.
For both Canadian and American employers, the trend could have economic consequences. In the U.S., where foreign-born workers represent 19.8 per cent of the workforce, certain sectors face potential labour shortages. Canada, which has traditionally maintained more open immigration policies, may face similar challenges.
The research indicates that white-collar professions requiring higher education are experiencing the most significant reductions in cross-border job search activity. Architecture and STEM fields saw the steepest declines globally, with architecture experiencing a three percentage point decrease between March 2024 and March 2025.
Australia maintained the highest overall foreign interest among countries studied, reaching 14.2 per cent in December 2023 before experiencing a sharp decline. Germany followed patterns similar to Canada’s, with foreign interest peaking at 6.7 per cent before dropping significantly.
For Canadian HR professionals, these findings suggest a need to reconsider recruitment strategies that have traditionally relied on international talent pools, especially as the country continues to implement more restrictive immigration policies despite ongoing labour needs in many sectors.
This shift comes as job postings across all four countries studied have been trending downward since 2022, indicating broader economic cooling that began earlier than the subsequent decline in foreign interest.
