Canada: Ontario Colleges Cut Nearly 10,000 Jobs Amid Sharp Fall In International Student Enrolment
10,000 teacher and staff jobs at public colleges have been cut or are on the brink of being lost in what is described as one of the worst crises to hit Ontario's post-secondary education sector. The precipitous decline in international student enrollments, especially from nations such as India, is the main contributory factor to the mass layoffs and program suspensions.
In a recent report by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), representing more than 55,000 college workers, has shown concern about growing fiscal pressures in the province's college system. To date, 19 of the 24 publicly funded schools have confirmed staff cuts, and 23 have indicated drastic drops in enrollment. Over 8,000 jobs had already been lost as of June 2025, and since some universities are still gathering data, the total may approach 10,000.
Drop in Indian students
The federal government's decision to ban international study licenses is one of the main causes of the situation. Between September 2023 and September 2024, first-semester enrolments by international students fell by a staggering 48%, directly affecting the tuition revenue that many colleges rely heavily upon. Indian students, who form a large chunk of these international admissions, have been particularly impacted.
More than 600 academic programmes have either been suspended or shut down completely, as reported by OPSEU. These include popular streams like culinary arts, nursing, environmental technologies, child and youth care, and various arts-related courses — many of which were favourites among international students.
According to the union, the Ontario government and college administrations have downplayed how serious the situation is. OPSEU claims it was only after repeated demands for accountability that the true scale of layoffs and course cancellations was made public. It also raised concerns about the province's long-standing underfunding of the college system and its heavy dependence on international tuition fees to keep institutions afloat.
Ministry and institution denied the allegations
OPSEU's allegations have been denied by the Ministry of institutions and Universities, which maintains that in addition to the CAD 5 billion in yearly financing already provided to institutions, Ontario has provided more than CAD 2 billion in additional support over the last 14 months. The ministry recognised that federal changes to immigration and study visa laws had made it more difficult for universities to navigate this challenging time.
Meanwhile, the College Employer Council (CEC), which represents college administrations, maintained that the union was made aware of the looming layoffs as early as January 2024. CEC explained that while almost 10,000 positions are impacted, this is a 17% reduction in staff — well below the 45% decline in student enrollment.
Centennial and the other colleges have also defied union demands. The college attributed most of the changes to unavoidable budgetary pressures instead of administrative choices, even though OPSEU had documented more than 100 programs halted at Centennial alone.
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