That’s just one symptom of the agriculture industry’s
overall shortage of willing workers.
The gap has
risen from three jobs for every graduate in 2012, despite a 30-per-cent
increase in enrolment over the same period, said Rene Van Acker, dean of OAC.
The college recently
surveyed 123 employers to come up with its figures on job openings.
"The
industry continues to grow," Mr. Van Acker told the Globe and Mail.
Nicole
Gallace, a recruiter in the food business with 10 years experience, said many
agri-businesses are smaller companies that lack human-resources departments and
the abilities to find the right applicants.
At the same
time, many graduates she comes across do not have the "soft" skills –
leadership or communications – employers need.
This helps
tilt the job market in favour of the well-qualified applicant, she said from
Burlington, Ont.
Sixty-seven
per cent of the agriculture companies and 51 per cent of the food processors or
retailers said they had trouble finding qualified employees, according to the
study.
