The next frontier in Canada’s agri-food sector: Technology-driven labour and skills transitions
Employment in Canada’s agri-food sector is significant, but technology will automate one-third of jobs in agriculture and one-fifth in food and beverage manufacturing over the next decade. Automation is critical for these industries to improve efficiencies in production and resource management and remain competitive. How will this transition be accomplished? Which skills will workers need to remain employed in these industries? And what does this all mean for low-skilled workers?
This report provides an overview of the technological trends and occupational employment changes in Canada’s agri-food sector, with an aim to:
- inform agri-food stakeholders (e.g., primary producers, processors and distributors) and organizations involved in workforce development (e.g., educational institutions, training providers) about technological transformations;
- highlight the emerging abilities, skills and knowledge-area requirements within the sector;
- provide strategic recommendations on workforce development initiatives that can support sustainable growth and competitiveness in the global market.
More from FSC
Blog
A Future Built on Skills: Why AI Literacy Must Become a Nation-Building Project
Canada is entering a moment that requires us to move together, deliberately and confidently, toward a future shaped by new technologies and new ways of learning.
Research
Rising Concerns About the Impact of New Technologies on Employment
The proportion of Canadian workers who are worried about losing their job in the coming years because the work they do will soon be done by computers or robots has increased, and this cannot be accounted for simply by pointing to growing pessimism about the economy in general. Rather, there is a more direct relationship between concerns about the impact of automation on employment, and the use of AI programs at work.
