Labor shortages in Canada’s farming industry could grow to 114,000 by 2025 if the current way of bringing in foreign workers continues.

That is the opinion of two key farming industry figures, who have called for the creation of an immigration program specifically for agricultural workers.

Mark Wales and Mark Chambers, co-chairs of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Labour Task Force, say that the current industry job vacancy rate of 7 per cent translates to $1.5 billion in lost sales.

Canada’s Farming Industry in Numbers

• Farming and processing contribute $100 billion and almost 7 per cent to Canada’s GDP.
• Agriculture feeds 37 million Canadians.
• Current labour force gap: 60,000 workers.
• Projected 2025 gap: 114,000 workers.
• 7 per cent vacancy rate costs $1.5 billion in lost sales.
• $25 an hour to drive a combine in Saskatchewan.
• Seasonal workers are 53 per cent of farming workforce.
• International workers are 12 per cent of farming workforce.
  
  

PATHWAY FOR PERMANENT RESIDENT FOR FARMING

Pathways to permanent residence

• The Government of Canada has heard from many sectors about the need for skilled labour to grow their businesses, improve exports, and create more jobs – and new immigration is an important component in meeting this need.
• Several jurisdictions across the country have also reported chronic and significant labour shortages in the agriculture sector, an issue that has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Our Government recognizes the importance of helping farmers to attract and retain enough workers to grow and process food that feeds Canadians and helps maintain a stable food supply for the country.
• The Department is responding to labour market challenges with increased levels of permanent immigration, options for hiring temporary workers, and innovative initiatives and pilot programs that address specific needs in an industry or region.
• In other words, facilitating the transition from temporary work status to permanent residency continues to be a dominant feature of our immigration system. Canada’s immigration system focuses on selecting candidates with high human capital who can contribute to the long-term prosperity of Canada.
• To spread the benefits of immigration to all parts of the country, in recent years, there have been a number of new and enhanced pathways to permanent residence, including at the low- and intermediate-skill levels: We have also launched several pilot programs that have a regional or sectoral focus, designed to test new approaches to immigrant selection and retention. This allows the government to respond to specific labour market challenges through targeted economic immigration strategies
• First, the Provincial Nominee Program is a key component of Canada’s economic immigration programming, where immigrants are selected on the basis of their ability to become economically established in Canada and intend to reside in a nominating jurisdiction. This program enables provinces and territories to create streams to nominate immigrants who meet local labour market and economic needs, including needs in the agricultural sector.
• While our federal programs seek to balance needs across the country and across different parts of the economy, the Provincial Nominee Program enables jurisdictions to develop streams that are more employer-driven to address needs in “in-demand” sectors and occupations.
• Both the provinces and territories can create pathways for workers at all skill levels, and may do so for the agri-food sector – provided the applicant has a full-time, non-seasonal job offer, and many have created business streams enabling applicants to purchase or start farms, which they will be actively managing and operating their day-to-day business.
• The second program, the Agri-Food Pilot, is a newer initiative that aims to attract and retain experienced workers in the mushroom and greenhouse crop production, meat processing, and livestock raising industries, by providing them with an opportunity to become permanent residents.
• This three-year pilot will test an industry-specific approach to immigration, to help employers in these areas fill ongoing labor needs for full-time, year-round employees in specific occupations.
• Despite the pandemic, our Government was able to launch the Agri-Food Pilot on May 15, 2020. A total of 2,750 applications will be accepted for processing annually, with an estimated 16,500 new permanent residents landing throughout the Pilot, including both workers and their family members.
• Farms and other agri-food sector employers will benefit from having a new pathway for some of their temporary workers to remain in Canada permanently, while they work to recruit additional temporary and/or domestic workers.