Canada, known for its vast agricultural landscapes and diverse produce, is facing a significant labor shortage in its farming sector. The shortage is impacting agricultural operations across the country, from the prairies of Alberta to the orchards of British Columbia. Challenges Canada’s aging agricultural workforce is a major challenge. As older farmers retire, there’s a lack of younger workers willing
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Coloradans are about to enjoy the bounty of the summer: Rocky Ford melons, Palisade peaches, and Olathe sweet corn. But the farmers who grow that produce have a big problem. There just aren’t enough workers. “I cannot find domestic workers who want to work seasonally at any price,” said David Harold of the Tuxedo Corn Company in Olathe. He and
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The Canadian government has recently implemented category-based selection draws in the Express Entry system on the path towards Canadian permanent residency. The category-based selection targets specific occupations with labor market shortages. To address the growing demand for skilled workers, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has included agriculture and agri-food occupations as one of the priority categories. The eligible agriculture
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A visa scheme for migrant farm workers was in place in some form between 1945 and 2014. Participants were typically students from European countries. The most recent incarnation, the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme, was restricted to Romanian and Bulgarian citizens from 2008. It was then scrapped altogether in 2014. The government considered that demand could be met by EU workers
Continue reading The United States has long been dependent on a reliable workforce to sustain its vast agricultural industry. However, in recent years, the country has faced a growing farm labor shortage. This shortage is attributed to several factors, including changing demographics, immigration policies, and evolving labor market dynamics. Challenges One of the primary challenges faced by American agriculture is the demographic
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A bipartisan group of House lawmakers reintroduced legislation that would provide temporary immigration status for certain agricultural workers to help alleviate labor shortages in the farming sector. The so-called Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which passed the House in 2021 before stalling in Senate, would streamline the process of getting a temporary visa for farm work. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-06-30/us-house-members-reintroduce-farm-work-immigration-reform-bill
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A report from RBC has concluded that Canada will need around 30,000 immigrant farmers over the next ten years to start their own farms in the country or to take over existing farm operations. According to RBC, in ten years’ time, about 60 per cent of farm operators will be over the age of 65, representing the highest number of
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According to a Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) research, 40 per cent of Canadian farm operators will retire by 2033, placing agriculture on the cusp of one of the biggest labour and leadership transitions in the country’s history. Canada’s agricultural sector is among the most diverse in the world though the degree of demand for foreign workers differs significantly by
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Canada needs 30,000 permanent immigrants over the next decade to either start up their own farms, or take over existing ones, to address a looming labour crisis in the agriculture industry, says a new study. According to a Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) research, 40 per cent of Canadian farm operators will retire by 2033, placing agriculture on the cusp
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