The Conference Board of Canada reports that the labour shortage is going to get worse and its survey indicates there will be 100,000 unfilled jobs in agriculture by 2030.
The Canadian Agriculture Human Resource Council commissioned the survey.
The council reported that job vacancies have increased by 15 per cent since 2022. That is a measure of jobs that could not be filled by Canadians or immigrants with permanent residence status.
Thirty per per cent of the workforce is expected to retire by 2040, a total of 85,300 people.
The report said temporary foreign workers (TFW) will play an important role in narrowing the domestic labour gap. However, even with a projected increase in TFW employment by 2030, an estimated 20 per cent or 22,200 positions will remain vacant.
“Labour shortages are one of the most serious issues in agriculture because they have a direct impact on local food security, economic development and the sustainability of the sector,” said Jennifer Wright, executive director of the council.
The report calls for public education to improve perceptions of agriculture, developing and updating human resource management practices, and adopting new technology and automation.
