Tim Hortons says it will hire 10,000 local team members, dial back on foreign workers amid high youth jobless rates

TORONTO – Tim Hortons announced Monday morning that it has launched a national campaign ahead of an initiative to hire 10,000 new local team members as it plans to open 80 new restaurants across Canada this year.

The Canadian coffee chain unveiled an advertising campaign across TV, digital, paid social and in-restaurant channels, inviting all aspiring team members to apply to join a Tim Hortons restaurant this summer.

The company says the hiring blitz will will help Canadian restaurant owners hire 10,000 new local team members, supporting natural turnover and growth of Tim Hortons restaurants – including 80 new restaurants opening this year across Canada.

Citing diversity as a shared national value, the company says restaurant owners won’t discriminate against anyone in their local hiring.

“Canada is a country that prides itself on welcoming everyone. As a brand, for more than 60 years, this is a value that Tims has shared and is one that we deeply believe in – this will never change,” the company said. “Tims restaurant owners don’t discriminate in their local hiring – anyone entitled to work in Canada is welcome to work at their restaurants. This includes Canadian students, international students, people with disabilities, mature workers, Indigenous people, new Canadians and members of the local community of all ages – always with the aim to hire locally every time they can in order to serve guests with excellence at every Tims, every time.”

The company claimed that when Canada emerged from COVID in 2021, there were acute 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,” the company said. “However, today in 2026, with high youth unemployment nationally, lobbying for expanded access is no longer necessary. In fact, our restaurant owners’ use of the program has already declined steadily since 2024. We will continue to work within the labour frameworks the federal and provincial governments decide are best for Canada.”

Of the approximately 110,000 team members across the Tim Hortons system, it estimates roughly 4,000 team members hold positions under the Temporary Foreign Worker program – representing approximately 3.6 per cent of all restaurant roles.

“These are positions in communities where restaurant owners faced documented labour shortages and went through the full government approval process before hiring. Restaurant owners understand the need for continued rigour and scrutiny for any new temporary foreign worker applications,” the company said.