At the end of 2022, the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting category had a job vacancy rate of 10,535 or 3.9%%.
The job vacancies per province were:
- Ontario: 3,070
- Quebec: 1,950
- British Columbia: 2,475
- Alberta: 940
- Saskatchewan: 540
- Manitoba: 550
- New Brunswick: 720
- Nova Scotia: 425
- PEI: 130
It is estimated that in 2023 the Ontario, B.C. and Quebec would double their number of labor shortage in this industry.
There are 3 main high demand occupations in the agriculture and agri-food industry. These include:
- Contractors and supervisors, landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services
- Agriculture service contractors and farm supervisors
- Butchers – retail and wholesale
Candidates in the Express Entry pool are ranked using a points-based system called the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). This system ranks candidates based on age, education, language skills, work experience and more.
A candidates CRS score will still be very central for category-based draws. IRCC will send invitations to apply (ITA) candidates with top ranking scores and who are also eligible for the category-based draw.
