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By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Labour Shortage

Agriculture labour shortage comes at a cost

Nov 3, 2023 | 5:13 PM

New labour market data from the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) shows on-farm agriculture businesses are losing money because of a labour shortage.

The losses are estimated at $3.5 billion in sales in 2022 because the sector didn’t have the workers it needed.

CAHRC’s Labour Market Information Summit revealed the data on Canadian agriculture sector’s labour market trends and challenges.

The research conducted by the Conference Board of Canada, on behalf of CAHRC, also found the sector has an above-average vacancy rate of 7.4 per cent, with two in five employers saying they couldn’t find the workers they needed.

Agriculture in Canada, including farm businesses, support services, and agricultural wholesalers, employed over 420,000 workers in 2022, nearly 25 per cent of them from the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program.

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That’s an increase of more than 30 per cent since 2017, according to Jennifer Wright, CAHRC’s Executive Director

“We cannot solve the issues facing our sector if we do not know exactly what they are and where they exist. That is why this new data is so important,” Wright said. “The information tells us there is an urgent need to boost labour supply and empower domestic and foreign workers to secure the industry’s future viability. CAHRC, as it works in partnership with industry, is committed to tackling these challenges head-on through the ongoing development of its resources and projects.”

Updating the labour forecasting system was made possible through funding from the federal government’s Sectoral Workplace Solutions Program (SWSP).

The SWSP helps key sectors of the economy implement solutions to address their current and emerging workforce needs.

The forecasting model uses an extensive database for occupational groups, industries, predictors for 35 skills requirements, and information from all provinces and territories. Data was also collected through surveys, interviews, and focus groups with employers, workers, industry stakeholders, government agencies, and academic institutions.

The updated forecasting system will support CAHRC’s National Workforce Strategic Plan.

CAHRC will be sharing more detailed findings with industry stakeholders, as well as key recommendations for the current and projected labour supply and demand for the agriculture sector.

This will include the distribution of reports on occupations, skills gaps, recruitment strategies, training opportunities, and best practices for improving the working conditions and well-being of agricultural workers.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW