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Tag Archives employment — page 2

Rural Ontario has not seen as dramatic employment drops as urban areas and has recovered quicker.
News

Ontario rural employment almost back to pre-COVID levels

Rural employment in other provinces hasn’t been as strong as it has in Ontario

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Rural Ontario’s employment levels are almost back to year ago level – almost making up the unemployment created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rural Ontario Institute (ROI) reports that Ontario unemployment is 0.6 per cent below levels in August 2019, according to Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey. Why it matters: Rising employment is critical to […] Read more
A majority of women and men in a recent poll believe gender equality in agriculture has changed for the better.
News

Survey shows more positive view of gender equality in agriculture

More women taking leadership roles in agriculture industry, but some say barriers still exist

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Glacier FarmMedia – Agriculture continues to make strides as an equal-opportunity employer, according to a human resources expert. A recent survey about the current state of gender roles and equality in agribusiness in Canada and the United States identified barriers that continue to exist to equality and advancement within the industry. Why it matters: Equal […] Read more
(Agr.gc.ca/eng/youth-in-agriculture)

Agricultural Youth Council members introduced

Jobs for next generation also come online

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Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has named the 25 young people chosen to sit on the inaugural Canadian Agricultural Youth Council. Members of the council (see list below) are expected to offer suggestions on government priorities and identify problems and solutions for Bibeau. “That was quite a challenge actually, because we received over 800 candidates,” Bibeau […] Read more
File photo of a quality control check on fresh peppers in a Canadian vegetable packing plant. (Jeffbergen/E+Getty Images)

Alberta, Ontario open online portals for domestic ag work

Canadian senators call for support for domestic ag workers

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The Alberta and Ontario governments hope to set up “land armies” of available domestic workers to deploy on their provinces’ farms, in the event that seasonal and temporary foreign workers are unavailable. Both provinces this week announced they have set up online portals where residents can connect with farmers in need of workers. Such jobs […] Read more
Kristjan Hebert, of Moosomin, Sask., is still refining his idea, but the basic concept is a certification program for people who want to work on farms. Like an electrician or plumber, the worker would take training, become an apprentice on a farm and after enough hours on the job, be certified as a journeyman farmer.
Machinery, News

Producer pitches journeyman farmer idea

Could farm workers be certified like electricians or plumbers?

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Glacier FarmMedia – It seems appropriate to have a “light bulb” moment while talking to an electrician. That’s exactly what happened to Kristjan Hebert last summer when a couple of electricians were working at his farm near Moosomin, Sask. Hebert was quizzing the electricians about their profession and what it’s like being a journeyman electrician. […] Read more
Positive work environment and the ability to grow in responsibility and pay are important to employee retention.
News

Finding and keeping farm employees

Informative job description and positive workplace are key contributors

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Farmers across Ontario are struggling to find and keep good help. Marlene Paibomesai, a dairy specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and Mark Ferguson, business management specialist with OMAFRA presented tips on attracting and keeping great employees at the 2020 SouthWest Agriculture Conference held in Ridgetown recently. Why it matters: […] Read more
The Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council says there are currently 16,500 jobs that can’t be filled even with the addition of 60,000 temporary foreign workers.
News

Comment: Agriculture needs more people and investment

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Technology has always been a driving force behind productivity growth in Canadian agriculture, and the trends of mechanization and increasing farm scale have typically been associated with a need for fewer people. The threshing crews making the rounds a century ago harvesting the annual crop were replaced by tractors and threshing machines. Herbicides reduced the […] Read more
Low unemployment rates in the overall population are making it even more difficult to find farm workers.
News

Farm workers increasingly in short supply

Surveys found that 70 per cent of the agriculture sector is challenged to find staff it needs

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Agriculture employers know hiring, training and retaining workers is an ongoing challenge. Jobless rates are going down and that increases the staffing problem. Surveys from AgCareers show more than 70 per cent of the sector struggles to find suitable staff. Why it matters: Farms need a flexible supply of workers in order to remain competitive […] Read more
Andrea De Groot is the Ontario Pork Industry Council’s managing director.
News

Attention to details helps foreign worker application process

Producers must be aware of the myriad regulations they must comply with to be eligible to seek foreign labour

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Three small-group meetings are planned in November for pork producers in southwestern Ontario to learn about applying to hire staff under the federally regulated Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). Why it matters: Recruiting and maintaining good-quality staff has been an ongoing challenge in the hog sector. The TFWP is commonly used to help meet this […] Read more
Danielle Fawcett explains her Master’s degree study into the effect on keel bone development in pullets raised in varying housing densities. She presented her findings during the Poster Presentation section of the 11th annual Research Symposium of the University of Guelph’s Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare.
Livestock, News

Animal welfare studies lead to ag careers

Students find there are good jobs to be had because of their studies of animal welfare

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The growing interest in animal welfare is providing opportunities for students studying animal behaviour and management. The most recent edition of the annual Research Symposium of the Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare (CCSAW) provided strong evidence there are now post-university career opportunities for those interested in the topic. Why it matters: With […] Read more

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