Canadian Ag Workforce and COVID-19

Bonnie Johnson
April 21, 2020
Newsletter Article

AgCareers.com continues to keep a pulse on the agricultural industry’s employment situation. To identify key trends over time during the pandemic, AgCareers.com conducted two surveys of agricultural employers, along with two surveys of employees/job seekers.AgCareers.com released these trends in the new Agribusiness Workforce Preparations for COVID-19: Highlights Report

The COVID-19 situation is rapidly changing daily life. AgCareers.com continues to keep a pulse on the agricultural industry’s employment situation. To identify key trends over time during the pandemic, AgCareers.com conducted two surveys of agricultural employers, along with two surveys of employees/job seekers.AgCareers.com released these trends in the new Agribusiness Workforce Preparations for COVID-19: Highlights Report.

Employers
Results show that mostCanadian agricultural employersnow have a pandemic business continuity plan in place. Employers’ dominant coverage plan for sick or absent employees is work rotation – minimize exposure among staff with on and off schedules. Seventy percent of ag employers have not taken action to manage employment numbers, but for those that have acted, reallocating staff to other departments was the most frequent action. Regarding summer internship plans, more than half of ag employers are still evaluating what their plan will be.

Employees / Job Seekers
Just over 40% of Canadian employees report they are now working from home because of COVID-19. Nearly 80% of employees said COVID-19 hasn’t impacted their employment status. If there was a change, the most common was reduction in hours. Sixty percent of job seekers and employees say they’re exploring their job options, up from 50% in the first survey.

View the entire Agribusiness Workforce Preparations for COVID-19: Highlights Report for more details.AgCareers.com continues to survey agricultural employees, candidates and employers on the ever-changing nature of COVID-19’s impact on agriculture. AgCareers.com will be identifying trends over time, highlighting key employer and job seeker concerns. Expect additional releases with updated data as it becomes available throughout the pandemic.

For more information, view the AgCareers.com COVID-19 Resource Page.