The Labour Market Forecast to 2029 for the agricultural sector was released Tuesday by the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC).

The data indicated that farmers across Canada's agriculture sector reported $2.9 billion in lost sales because of unfilled vacancies – an increase from $1.5 billion in 2014.

However, there are signs of improvement as total job vacancies in agriculture have declined to 16,500 from 26,400, largely as a result of the adoption of technology, and an increase in the number of international workers who fill jobs where no Canadians can be found.

Vacancy rates in agriculture are among the highest of any sector in Canada at 5.4%, compared to the national average of just under 2.9%. They have decreased from the 2014 rate of 7%.

“Labour shortages in Canadian agriculture can only be addressed by taking decisive action,” states Portia MacDonald-Dewhirst, Executive Director of CAHRC. “By working together, we can find meaningful, creative solutions to increase the supply of labour and improve the skills of the sector’s workforce for the continued success and growth of agriculture across Canada.”

The labour market forecast research was funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Sectoral Initiatives Program.