With an estimated 25,000 job vacancies, Canada’s agriculture industry has a massive problem.
The lack of people is a source of stress for small and large businesses in the sector, which is why the Canadian Association of Agri-Retailers (CAAR) is developing a unique program to address the shortage.
Early in 2016, possibly in January, CAAR will launch a pilot project called Operation Ag Careers. The objective of the program is to convince retired Canadian military personnel to consider a career in agriculture.
Delaney Ross Burtnack, CAAR president, said soldiers and other members of the military typically retire from service between the ages of 28 and 35.
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Most want a second career, and agriculture might be an excellent fit.
“It’s the number one thing that keeps our members (of CAAR) up at night, is finding skilled people,” said Burtnack, who spoke at a Manitoba Farm Writers and Broadcasters Association meeting, held late November in Winnipeg. “There are people in the military who have highly transferable skills into agriculture…. It’s (about) connecting this highly skilled and growing pool of individuals … to the ongoing need for skilled labour in agriculture.”
CAAR is teaming up with the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) on the pilot project, which will use online tools to connect former military personnel with potential jobs in the agriculture industry.
Every year approximately 5,000 Canadians retire from Canada’s army, navy and air force. Many of those people have experience in management, communication, training and mechanics, useful knowledge and skills within agriculture.
The challenge is convincing ex military personnel that agriculture is more than tending to livestock and seeding crops.
“They’re looking to have a full, second career … (but) many of these folks assume that agriculture is farming,” Burtnack said. “This concept, of being anything other than a farmer within agriculture, is new to them.”
Burtnack said the key to overcoming that misperception is emphasizing that agriculture is a business and a science. Like other sectors of the economy, ag industry firms need people with a diversity of skills and experience.
“Our employers are looking for people and they will train (around) agriculture.”
Laurel Hyde, associate consultant at Scott Wolfe Management, a wealth management and consulting firm in Headingly, Man., said one of the primary obstacles for agricultural businesses is relocation.
Experienced managers, accountants, communicators and procurement specialists might be willing to give agriculture a try, but they aren’t willing to live in rural Canada.
“Relocating has become a major issue…. There may be a working spouse or their children may be at an age where they don’t want to move,” Hyde said.
Burtnack said moving to a smaller city or rural community isn’t as big of an issue for members of the military because many military bases are in rural and remote parts of Canada.
“They understand that lifestyle and many appreciate that lifestyle.”
Doug Chorney, CAHRC vice-chair, said persuading more people into ag careers is essential because surveys suggest there are 25,000 job vacancies within the sector.
“We expect that to grow to 50,000 if we don’t do something about it.”
CAHRC is holding a summit called Growing the AgriWorkforce in March in Winnipeg. The council will release the most recent data on the labour shortage within Canadian agriculture at the summit.
Contact robert.arnason@producer.com
