Employment program aims to fill agri-food sector labour gap

The First Work organization has a mission to expand Ontario’s agri-food workforce and fill the current labour gap, and for the first time, it is focusing on farm, agriculture and agri-food employment opportunities.

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First Work connects young job seekers with more than 100 community-based employment agencies across Ontario. The organization works as a conduit to connect community employment agencies with projects and programs like the new Expanding Job Entry Pathways in Agri-food, launched earlier this year.

Why it matters: Engaging young workers with the agri-food industry could help meet the sector’s labour needs.

Led by First Work and backed by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the program aims to support and align new workers with agri-food employers across the province.

“With more than 123,000 vacancies projected for the agri-food sector by 2029, employment service providers (ESPs) can play a key role in helping businesses meet labour force demands,” says Akosua Alagaratnam, First Work executive director.

“Our goal is to increase the labour and talent pipeline to our agri-food sector. This project will assist and address skill development, support employers and increase interest from youth talent.”

Working to achieve its goal of connecting agri-food employers with employees that possess the right skills and talent, First Work is engaging with regional employment agencies and agri-food employers to participate in the program. It is open to farm employers who seek to attract and employ workers and develop talent and skill sets for employee retention.

“Through our local ESP networks, we aim to assist with career exploration and highlight opportunities within the sector that youth and job seekers may not otherwise know about,” says Alagaratnam.

Through the program, local ESPs can combine the information and tools available from the program and First Work with their own development programs. Some local agencies even use virtual reality to attract job seekers and prepare candidates for what to expect on the job.

“We’ve had local agency staff visit farms and agriculture businesses to capture footage of what it would be like to work there and feature the types of jobs and roles. Using virtual reality, we can use this unique method to expose youth and job seekers to these careers or prepare job candidates for their on-the-job experience,” says Alagaratnam.

ESPs can also work with agri-food employers to help recruit and fill jobs and identify the soft and hard skills necessary to perform tasks specific to farm and food employment.

Alagaratnam says that, in many cases, ESPs support job seekers with the development of universal soft skills like work ethic, adaptability to changing environments, customer service or working with a team.

Working with an ESP to complete a job assessment can also help farm employers identify hard skills required for their workplace environment, like animal safety, problem solving and effective communications.

Identifying these necessary skills can help ESPs support employers through the hiring process and even provide training to candidates and employees.

“Our goal is to help agri-food employers hire the right people and fill positions for the long-term,” notes Alagaratnam.

Employer support

When it comes to supporting agri-food employers, the program offers financial and recruitment support for hiring, training and retaining employees. Employers can take advantage of these programs by partnering with First Work member agencies.

Through the Expanding Job Entry Pathways in Agri-food program, employers can access free recruitment, training and retention support including up to $10,000 per employee for professional development, provincial funding up to $5,000 for hiring new talent, a $1,000 signing bonus for new apprenticeships and candidate screening and interview support.

First Work has also hosted two regional Farm to Fork Career Exploration Fairs to drive youth interest in agri-food careers and has plans for two more upcoming events, including a spring 2024 event in Toronto.
Employers are encouraged to exhibit and attend these upcoming career fairs to learn more about the programs available as agri-food employers, promote their own employment opportunities and learn about the current employee talent pool.

To learn more about the Expanding Job Entry Pathways in Agri-food, e-mail [email protected] or visit firstwork.org/agri-food-pathways. To connect with a First Work partner, visit firstwork.org/our-members.