ONTARIO-Tim Hortons says it will hire 10,000 new local team members this summer while reducing reliance on the Temporary Foreign Worker program.
Of the approximately 110,000 team members across the Tim Hortons system, the company estimates roughly 4,000 team members hold positions under the Temporary Foreign Worker program. These are positions in communities where restaurant owners faced documented labour shortages and went through the full government approval process before hiring according to Tim Hortons officials.
As Canada emerged from COVID in 2021, there were labour shortages across the country. To address this, the government increased access to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Tim Hortons was one of the companies encouraging the government to do so at the time to help restaurants facing staffing challenges and lobbied them to maintain greater access when they announced plans to limit applications. However the company now says that today, in 2026, with high youth unemployment nationally, lobbying for expanded access is no longer necessary saying restaurant owners’ use of the program has already declined steadily since 2024.
The company is inviting all aspiring team members to apply to join a Tim Hortons restaurant this summer.
