News Business Labour Marketing Research Retail Trends
Interim report highlights National Workforce Strategic Framework for Agriculture and Food and Beverage Manufacturing

The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) and its partners the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) and Food and Beverage Canada (FBC-ABC) have shared the interim report on the development of an industry-led National Workforce Strategic Framework for Agriculture and Food & Beverage Manufacturing.

Started in 2021 with funding from the Government of Canada’s Future Skills Centre, the National Workforce Strategic Framework will set out a comprehensive plan for Canada’s agriculture and food and beverage manufacturing sectors to achieve workforce stability by 2030. The Strategic Framework will identify the root causes of industry’s labour shortages and skills gaps, identify concrete actions to address these shortfalls, and set meaningful goals and timelines to measure our progress and success.

The Strategic Framework seeks to complement the efforts of the Government of Canada, including the development of a National Agricultural Labour Strategy by the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food.

To date, over 100 stakeholders have actively participated in this critical initiative, including primary producers, food and beverage manufacturers, educational institutions, producer groups, industry associations, and government officials. Together, they are undertaking work around five key themes:

• Perception and Awareness of Industry and Careers
• People and Workplace Culture
• Immigration and Foreign Workers
• Skill Development
• Automation and Technology

“The Canadian agriculture and food and beverage manufacturing sectors not only provide food to Canadians and the globe but are strong contributors to the Canadian economy,” said Paul Glenn, Chair of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council. “Growing chronic labour shortages impact the success and viability of these sectors. Bringing industry together to work to identify and address these workforce challenges will enable the sector continue to prosper and grow.”

“Food and beverage manufacturers, Canada’s largest manufacturing employer, are short an average of 20 per cent of their workforce,” said Kathleen Sullivan, CEO of Food and Beverage Canada. “This project is proving to be a critical exercise in bringing together industry to examine the cause of these shortages, and to identify meaningful industry and government actions to resolve this significant issue impacting Canada’s food system. The interim report is the result of a collective effort to identify how we can ensure industry has the skilled workforce needed to meet Canada’s food needs.”

The National Workforce Strategy for Agriculture and Food and Beverage Manufacturing project is funded by the Government of Canada’s Future Skills Centre.