Producers must find ways to make farm jobs attractive

Farmers’ ability to find and keep employees is probably being crippled by a new reality that exacerbates a bad, old reality: “It’s easier to pick and choose.”

That observation was made by economist Chris Ferris when I met with him the other day to chat about the mystery of why so many industries and businesses have “help wanted” signs posted out front.

After all, many businesses closed during the pandemic, Canada’s population has grown, and it seems reasonable to think that workers would be having a tougher time finding work than employers would in finding willing workers.

In agriculture, the situation is particularly critical with an already badly underpopulated farm and agriculture workforce pre-pandemic appearing to become severely underpopulated.

The job market might be the most challenging market farmers cope with this year.

Farmers and employers like hog barns and packing plants are often operating well beneath what they would consider acceptable staffing levels due to their inability to find or retain enough workers. For packing plants and hog barns, that can mean operating beneath capacity. Packing plants have cut shifts and reduced production due to a critical and ongoing lack of workers.