Ontario study says a quarter of food manufacturers wait over a year to fill roles

TORONTO — A study from Food and Beverage Ontario says a shortage of skilled trades people and lack of access to qualified foreign workers has continued to take its toll on production capacity for the province’s food and beverage processing industry.

Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs funded the study, which says that the province’s food and beverage processing industry contributed $13.9 billion to Ontario’s GDP in 2020. It also represents the province’s largest manufacturing sector by employment; however, the industry is projecting a shortfall of 25,000 employees by 2025.

The study explored how the skilled labour shortage’s impact on processing facilities across the province, and it found that 82 per cent of Ontario’s food and beverage processors need or are actively seeking to employ a skilled trades professional. These positions include roles such as automation technicians, millwrights, electricians, and quality control technicians.

They industry report says it takes an average of seven months to hire for the role, while a quarter of food and beverage processors note they have been waiting over a year to fill some skilled trades roles.

“The demand due to broad labour shortages has created both a loss in industry capacity and a cycle that draws existing resources to accommodate the shortage and labour turn over,” said Doug Alexander, vice president sustainability and government relations at Belmont Food Group in a statement.

“The more skilled trades jobs we need to fill, and the longer it takes to fill them, the more pressure is placed on current employees to keep operations running. That can lead to burnout and food production constraints, while literally turning down orders.”

Due to the high demand of skilled trades people across the country, industries are competing for talent in a limited labour pool.

“The food and beverage processing industry is a highly innovative sector with tremendous career opportunities,” said FBO’s CEO, Christopher Conway in a statement.

“Increasing awareness and education about the benefits of skilled trades and careers in the food and beverage industry—especially at the secondary and post-secondary level—is essential to addressing the sector’s long term labour needs.”