In finding workers, our only experience to date was the temporary foreign worker program. It's a very costly process. Typically, we need support for about 10% of our workforce in the rural areas. Reduce the amount of red tape and the requirements on the temporary foreign program. We look to it as a supplement to our existing workers.
For example, we're facing peak periods of product being landed, whether it be lobster as the stocks increase or snow crab, and we just don't have the workforce to deal with it, but we don't need it 12 months of the year necessarily. Where we can, we're employing local workers, but there are challenges in rural economies, and the population is not there.
Under the current program we pay $1,000 per applicant. To bring 10 workers from Thailand costs us almost $40,000 before they work one hour. That's a challenge for a small business.
Reduce the cost. Reduce the red tape. We have to pay the same wages. We have to pay housing. We have to pay medical and dental insurance. Contrary to what may be reported in the media, it's a costly process that we prefer not to use.
Longer term, some automation but also immigration to our rural communities may help. We need new blood, more people. We have schools that are closing. The opportunity is here with these free trade agreements to increase production, but we need more people in our rural communities.