Blogs
My findings to the question "How difficult is it to find and keep employees for agricultural jobs and why?" included the following, with the sources where I found my information.
-There are 73 862 job openings expected in agriculture, aquaculture, and horticulture by 2022 and it is estimated that 1 in 3 of these jobs will not be filled. (http://ipolitics.ca/2015/03/09/help-wanted-the-job-crisis-in-canadian-agriculture/)
-Canadian Cattlemen’s Association reported that there are over 1000 vacancies in Canadian pork and beef processing plants. (http://ipolitics.ca/2015/03/09/help-wanted-the-job-crisis-in-canadian-agriculture/)
-Most of Canada’s agricultural workers are temporary foreign workers, particularly during peak production periods. (http://ipolitics.ca/2015/03/09/help-wanted-the-job-crisis-in-canadian-agriculture/ , http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/99879-farmers-ei-rules-make-it-harder-to-keep-workers)
-Possible employees are often not suited to the hard physical labour of farm work. They also are turned off by the danger of the field (it is rated the ninth most dangerous profession in Canada in 2014). Farms are often dirty and people with allergies cannot easily work on them, and you must work no matter what the weather is. (http://ipolitics.ca/2015/03/09/help-wanted-the-job-crisis-in-canadian-agriculture/ , http://www.cos-mag.com/safety/safety-stories/3774-top-10-most-dangerous-jobs-revealed.html
-Employees are easily frustrated because they must work harder, longer hours because most farms are under staffed. As well, farming in a seasonal industry. (http://ipolitics.ca/2015/03/09/help-wanted-the-job-crisis-in-canadian-agriculture/)
-It is hard to find skilled employees for farms, so employers must train the people they employ. As well, the skills required in farming are easily transferred to other, possibly higher paying, jobs. (http://ipolitics.ca/2015/03/09/help-wanted-the-job-crisis-in-canadian-agriculture/ , https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobprofiles/Pages/farmworker.aspx)
-Average age of a Canadian farmer is 55; only 8 percent are under 36. (http://ipolitics.ca/2015/03/09/help-wanted-the-job-crisis-in-canadian-agriculture/)
-Starting rates for workers range from $10 to $22/hour in Canada. ($11.25-$15.17/hour in Ontario) (http://ipolitics.ca/2015/03/09/help-wanted-the-job-crisis-in-canadian-agriculture/ , http://www.esdc.gc.ca/en/foreign_workers/hire/agricultural/agricultural_wages.page#h2.12)
-Interestingly, 1 in 8 jobs in Canada are tied to agriculture, and one job in agriculture generates 4 to 7 more jobs for Canadians. (http://ipolitics.ca/2015/03/09/help-wanted-the-job-crisis-in-canadian-agriculture/ )
(It would be interesting to look more in depth at job stability, required previous training or future training at whose expense, rights and benefits, if there funding to help small farms pay workers or to provide training or benefits, etc.)
Lack of employees is a limitation to local food production because a farmer cannot do all the work by him or herself and still produce the maximum possible food. They must have help to complete the various jobs on their farm, but if they cannot find someone to hire, or afford to hire someone, the farm's efficiency and potential drops.
