AGRI LMI

The agriculture support services industries are defined as establishments primarily engaged in providing support activities for growing crops and support activities related to raising livestock, including companion animals.

The agriculture support services industry faced significant labour challenges in 2022, with a high peak vacancy rate of 10.5% and a turnover rate of 23%. Employers reported difficulties in recruiting due to a lack of essential and specialized skills. 
While the industry is expected to have a stable supply of domestic workers over the forecast period, the growing demand for labour is projected to outpace the domestic supply, leading to a labour gap.

The industry had 660 foreign workers in 2022, but peak demand is anticipated to create a growing domestic labour gap over the next eight years. 

The voluntary turnover rate in this industry is notably high, with limited career growth opportunities being a major factor.

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Apiculture, or the beekeeping industry, includes operations that are primarily engaged in raising bees, collecting and gathering honey, and performing other beekeeping activities. 

Despite challenges like COVID-19 disruptions and varroa mite infestations, the apiculture industry has sustained itself with higher honey prices. Growth potential exists, but securing an adequate workforce is a key challenge due to the physical nature of the work, seasonality, and rural locations.

Many employers rely on foreign workers, but rules and regulations for temporary foreign workers pose a significant barrier to recruitment. The Temporary Foreign Worker Program is widely used, but rules and regulations hinder recruitment.

Honey production saw a substantial increase in 2023, and high prices are expected to support industry growth. The number of apiaries and beekeepers has increased, but the industry is composed of smaller operations and hobby beekeepers.

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Canada’s aquaculture industry produces a wide array of seafood, with a focus on salmon, mussels, oysters, and trout. The industry, a rapidly growing sector in agriculture, faces unique labour challenges due to the rural location of operations and a shortage of applicants with necessary skills.

While the industry has low turnover rates, the demand for labour is expected to outpace domestic employment growth by 2030, resulting in a 35% increase in the domestic labour gap. 

Foreign worker use is increasing but still represents less than 1% of the total workforce. The industry's key challenges include rural depopulation, limited transportation options, and wage competition. 

Despite facing fewer labour challenges compared to other industries, efforts are needed to address rural location barriers and ensure infrastructure support for the growing workforce.

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The beef industry includes operations that primarily raise and finish cattle, including feedlots.
The beef industry is facing a significant labour challenge with over 1,300 job vacancies in 2022, primarily due to rural locations and a lack of skilled applicants. 

The industry, employing 33,200 domestic workers in 2022, is experiencing a shift in workforce composition, with 35% of current workers expected to retire in the next 8 years. 

Despite a 50% increase in foreign workers since 2017, job vacancies persist. The rural location remains a key barrier to recruitment and retention.

The influx of new domestic and foreign workers requires substantial training, and the labour gap is projected to increase to 7% by 2030. 

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Canada’s dairy industry includes operations that primarily milk dairy cattle. Because it relies on the domestic market and has limited exposure to foreign markets for its products, this industry has a very stable production outlook.

However, the dairy industry faces persistent challenges in finding domestic workers with the right skills, resulting in job vacancies.
 
Despite an increasing reliance on foreign workers, around 1,000 positions are projected to remain vacant in 2030. Over the next eight years, the domestic labour gap is expected to increase by 10%, reaching 5,000 workers during peak season in 2030. 

The workforce will undergo significant changes, with 25% of current domestic workers expected to retire, necessitating substantial training and skills development for new workers. 

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The fruit and vegetable industry, which includes farms that produce vegetables (such as root vegetables, sweet corn, tomatoes and peppers), melons and fruit and tree nut farming.

The fruit and vegetable industry faces a significant labour challenge, with over 6,300 unfilled positions during peak season in 2022, resulting in $260 million in lost sales. 

Foreign workers, constituting almost half the workforce, are crucial, and the industry is projected to experience a 17% growth in the domestic labour gap by 2030. The industry anticipates a growing demand for workers, but domestic employment is expected to lag, relying heavily on foreign workers.

The seasonal nature of the industry, coupled with difficult manual labour and job uncertainty, poses recruitment and retention challenges. 

Employers, particularly in tree fruit and vine, report a voluntary turnover rate, with pay being a significant retention barrier. 

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One of Canada’s largest agricultural employers, the grain and oilseed industry includes farms that produce a wide variety of crops, with wheat, canola, soybeans, and feed corn being key among them.

The grain and oilseed industry, constituting over 40% of agricultural revenues, faces a unique labour challenge marked by a significant peak season vacancy rate, with 2,300 positions unfilled in 2022, resulting in a $1.27 billion loss in sales. 

Despite productivity gains from technology, attracting skilled workers becomes crucial, especially with 36% of current domestic workers set to retire in the next 8 years. 

The sector struggles with recruitment challenges such as the seasonal nature of work, manual labour requirements, and rural locations, leading to a high turnover rate despite higher wages.

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The greenhouse, nursery, and floriculture industry produces nursery crops, trees, flowers, ornamental plants, and crops of any kind grown under cover.

The industry employed 15% of the agricultural workforce in 2022, making it one of the largest employer in Canada’s agriculture sector. The industry's workforce has increased by over 50% since 2017, driven by cannabis production and greenhouse fruit and vegetable expansion. 

The industry faced significant labour challenges in 2022, with an estimated 4,300 positions going unfilled during peak season, resulting in over $500 million in lost sales. 

Foreign workers, crucial to the industry, are projected to grow to over 35,000 by 2030, filling 82% of the domestic labour gap. Challenges include high turnover rates, difficulties in recruitment due to manual labour, low pay, and seasonality.

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The poultry and egg industry includes operations that primarily engage in breeding, hatching, and raising poultry for meat or egg production.

The poultry and egg industry grapples with high turnover and job vacancies, expected to persist over the next eight years. In 2022, the industry employed 12,200 domestic workers, with Ontario hosting nearly 40% of these jobs.

Three main occupations constitute 75% of the workforce: managers in agriculture, specialized livestock workers, and livestock labourers.

With over 25% of employers faced difficulty finding all needed workers in 2022, leading to cancelled or delayed expansion plans due to job vacancies. 

Continued productivity growth is projected to lead to a 14% decrease in peak labour demand over the next 8 years. A 19% decline in total Canadian employment in the industry is projected by 2030. Despite an increase in foreign workers, 290 vacancies are expected by 2030, impacting specialized roles.

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The sheep and goat industry includes operations primarily engaged in raising sheep and goats and feeding or fattening lambs.
The sheep and goat industry faces a higher vacancy rate and turnover compared to other animal production sectors, attributed to challenging manual labour, long working hours, and lower pay. 

While labour challenges are expected to ease, projections suggest persistent vacancies, reaching 4% of labour demand by 2030. The industry employs both domestic and foreign workers, with a notable 8.6% job vacancy rate in 2022. 

The labour market forecast predicts a 5% decrease in peak labour demand by 2030, accompanied by retirements, new entrants, and increased foreign worker employment. However, 135 vacancies are still anticipated by 2030, particularly in specialized livestock and machinery operation roles.

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The swine industry includes operations that primarily raise hogs and pigs. The swine industry is experiencing significant labour challenges, with a projected 16% increase in the domestic labour gap by 2030. 

Foreign workers are anticipated to constitute nearly 25% of the workforce, filling over 80% of the domestic labour gap. 

Challenges include high turnover rates which impacts on productivity and expansion plans due to unfilled positions. The swine industry also faces difficulty in finding workers with the required skills and experience, particularly for specialized livestock workers or farm machinery operators.

This challenge is made more difficult by an aging domestic workforce, with one-third expected to retire over the next 8 years.

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The tree fruit and vine industry includes farms that produce tree fruits (such as apples and peaches), tree nuts (such as walnuts and hazelnuts), berries, and vineyards.

Employing 28,881 workers in 2022, approximately 48% of the jobs in the tree fruit and vine industry couldn’t be filled with domestic workers. The industry relied heavily on foreign workers to help fill this sizable labour gap; more than 13,000 jobs were filled by foreign workers during the seasonal peak. 

By 2030, the tree fruit and vine industry is anticipated to face a significant labour demand of 35,725 positions. However, the domestic labour supply is projected to fall short, resulting in a substantial projected domestic labour gap of almost half of the positions the industry needs. 

Addressing this gap will be crucial for the industry's sustained growth and productivity.

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