Job vacancies in food and beverage manufacturing fell to 2019 levels this year, but softening demand for workers isn’t necessarily a positive sign says Farm Credit Canada.
Food and beverage sector sees softening demand for workers
Meat industry calls on federal gov to ease foreign worker limits
Meat industry groups are asking the federal government to reinstate a program that expanded industry hiring limits for temporary foreign workers (TFWs) and lengthened the validity of paperwork needed for hiring, citing work shortages and impact on food prices.
Farm wages, benefits have room to improve, survey says
Agriculture wages lag behind fields like construction, manufacturing, transport; jobs may lack basic benefits
"While some agriculture employers offered these benefits, many participating organizations do not offer any flexible work arrangements or basic benefits like sick days," CAHRC wrote in a report on its 2024 survey of compensation practices in Canadian agriculture.
Agriculture workers not mentioned in TFW rule changes
Food processing sees foreign worker limit reduced by ten per cent; construction, healthcare exempted
The federal government announced Thursday that, effective May 1, some sectors would be allowed no more than 20 per cent of their workforces to be made up of temporary foreign workers (TWFs) brought in via the low wage stream—down from 30 per cent since 2022.
Veterinary association calls on federal government to address workforce shortage
National testing centre is needed to onboard internationally-trained vets, CVMA says
An organization representing Canadian veterinarians is calling for the federal government to intervene as it faces what it calls a severe workforce shortage.
Finding workers the No. 1 challenge for Alberta beef processors
Labour is a top concern, but so are regulations and inter-provincial trade rules, new study finds
Reading Time: 4 minutes A shortage of workers is the biggest challenge facing Alberta’s beef processing sector, says a new industry report. However, Colleen Biggs doesn’t need a report to tell her that. “We pay quite a bit more than industry average and we still can’t seem to attract employees. I think that’s a big issue,” said Biggs, who […] Read more
Supply doesn’t meet demand for ag workers in Alberta
People are submitting applications, but there’s a lack of follow-through and quality, say business owners
Reading Time: 3 minutes Aerial field sprayers are the fighter pilots of industry, swooping low and fast while dropping chemical armaments over fields. They’re used to challenges such as avoiding obstacles including power lines, trees, buildings and vehicles. But they’re facing a new challenge — getting chemical delivered to the aircraft. Calvin Murray, founder of Early Bird Air near […] Read more
Ontario to extend labour-related crop loss coverage
Losses due to COVID-19-related labour disruptions covered
A temporary crop insurance expansion that covers Ontario farms against crop losses due to “on-farm labour disruptions” caused by COVID-19 will be held over for yet another year. Agricorp, the province’s farm program delivery agency, announced in late December the feature first introduced in 2020 will be included again in 2022, at the same coverage […] Read more
Ontario to insure for crop loss due to lack of labour
AgriInsurance offering hailed as a first in Canada
Ontario’s federal/provincial AgriInsurance program has been temporarily expanded to include coronavirus-related labour shortages as a covered cause for crop loss. Producers already enrolled in an eligible production insurance plan and hit by crop losses due to labour disruptions during the 2020 growing season will be able to get further insurance coverage, the Ontario and federal […] Read more
Canadian greenhouse labor shortages worsened by growing cannabis producers
Ottawa | Reuters – Canada’s labor-strapped greenhouse vegetable and flower growers are ramping up efforts to keep and recruit more workers in the face of pressure from the country’s budding cannabis industry, farm groups say. “Many of the cannabis producers are very cash rich. They’ve got the resources to pay a very good wage,” said […] Read more
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