The 2022-2023 AgCareers.com Agriculture and Food HR Review™ reviews the challenges faced by Agriculture and Food companies in the United States and Canada. Our objective is to help HR professionals and companies in the agriculture and food space prepare for emerging HR trends so that they can appropriately prepare and plan for 2022-2023.

The AgCareers.com Agriculture and Food HR Review™ provides a range of human resource practices relevant to participating Agriculture and Food companies over the last twelve months. Topics covered include salary reviews, employee attrition, workforce trends, development, flexible staffing, bonus and incentive schemes, and recruitment practices.

Explore the latest human resources trends 
across the agriculture and food industries. 

U.S. KEY FINDINGS

RETENTION PRACTICES ARE TOP PRIORITY

Retention practices are a top focus of companies across the agriculture and food industries.  Companies reported regular pay increases for current employees and flexible work schedules were the top noted ways companies focus on retaining their talent.  Employee retention also emerged as a hopeful outcome as employers look for ways to keep employees productive and challenged.

CONTINUED FLEXIBLE WORK SCHEDULES

A recent poll by AgCareers.com also stated that 55% of employees prefer a hybrid schedule. Flexible work remains a way for employers to attract and retain staff as well as provide a work-life balance to employees. Flexible work arrangements most offered were hybrid work schedules (53.16%) and flexibility in schedule (44.30%).

HOURLY ROLES REMAIN THE MOST DIFFICULT TO FILL

If your organization is having a hard time filling hourly roles, it may not be alone.  Like previous years, hourly/production/labor intensive roles remained the most difficult to fill by type and level. 

LARGE PUSH TOWARDS MORE GRADUATE RECRUITMENT

New graduates can be a great asset for companies. New graduates can often bring enthusiasm and fresh ideas to an organization. Within the next twelve months, 68.35% of companies plan to do more graduate recruitment. To attract new graduates, college and university recruiting is a top choice for employers, followed by a formal internship program.

CANADA KEY FINDINGS

OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK FOR GROWTH

Agriculture and food companies across Canada continue to forecast growth over the next two years. Overall, 55.91% of companies anticipate an increase in the size of their workforce.  Additionally,  73.00% cited this increase in company growth will come as a result of their plans and growth strategy.

INTENSIFIED LABOUR MARKET CONDITIONS

It is no secret that the labour market has continued to pose challenges for employers. Competing for talent is once again the top noted challenge of human resource professionals. Companies noted that finding applicants with the required skills was the top reason for their recruiting difficulties (65.59%).

SALES POSITIONS IN DEMAND BUT HARD TO RECRUIT

In 2022, like in previous years, sales roles were noted as the most difficult type of role to fill. Sales roles were reported as the top position that companies hope to fill with new graduates. There are many options that employers can explore to fill open positions. Many companies will look to the utilization of company websites and social media outlets, which give potential applicants an opportunity to learn more about an organization and decide if they would like to apply. Companies can also utilize current employees for referrals

TO IMPROVE CULTURE, CREATE PATHS FOR EMPLOYEES TO DEVELOP AND USE SKILLS

Canadian companies across the Agriculture and Food space have noted various tactics to improve their company culture. The most common tactic was providing an opportunity for employees to use their skills and abilities. Companies can help to facilitate this growth for employees by creating paths for employees to develop and sharpen necessary skills.