The retirement wave coming to Canada’s agricultural sector over the next 10 years will exacerbate the already serious shortage of workers to fill that labour gap, according to a new report.
The report by the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) says that by 2033, 40 percent of farm operators will retire, while a shortfall of 24,000 general workers on farms, in nurseries, and in greenhouses is expected to happen in the same period. Adding to the concerns is the fact that two-thirds (66 percent) of those producers have no succession plans in place, which puts agriculture “on the cusp of one of the biggest labour and leadership transitions in the country’s history,” the report said.
