In early 2024, a sweeping federal policy change triggered a dramatic drop in international student enrollment across Ontario. There has been a lot of speculation and concern about how this will impact the country and Ontario specifically. We have already seen budget cuts and layoffs at colleges across the province. And with fewer international students coming to Ontario and reduced part-time working hours for those who do study in Ontario, the province may face a shortage of part-time workers, followed by longer-term effects on the supply of skilled workers. In the local communities in which these students work and study, those impacts could be even more pronounced.
To shed some light on how declining international student numbers may affect the labour market, HEQCO partnered with Fleming College as part of the international education consortium to examine if and where international students are working during their studies. Fleming College administered a 22-question survey to all international students at campuses in Peterborough, Lindsay and Haliburton between fall 2023 and fall 2024, resulting in 1,821 responses. The survey results confirm what many employers already know: prior to the federal policy shift, international students were dedicated workers, working across diverse industries at high rates while studying.
For more information
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