Agribusiness faces labour shortage of 125,000

April 20, 2021

The labour shortage in agriculture and agri-food is continuing to get worse, but there are a few strategies that could definitely help improve the situation.

So says Portia MacDonald-Dewhirst, executive director of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC), in talking with Canadian HR Reporter.

Projections indicate that in 2017, 63,000 positions went unfilled; for 2029, nearly 125,000 positions will be vacant, she says.

“That has real concerns for all of us in the industry, but also should concern Canadians. We want to ensure that our food system remains healthy and viable. It’s impacting food producers across all parts of Canada, in all regions and in the various sub-sectors within the industry, so in crops production and horticulture production and dairy production… labour challenges have been persistent and worsening.”

Previously, CAHRC noted that the grain and oilseed industry — Canada’s largest agricultural industry — is projected to have one in four jobs unfilled by 2029.

 

Source: HR Reporter