It’s a graduate’s job market if you’re enrolled in Ontario’s food and agriculture sector.
A report released Sept. 14 by the University of Guelph’s Ontario Agricultural College – “Planning for Tomorrow 2.0” – states there are four jobs for every one of their graduates, based on a survey of 123 Ontario employers.
The report provides a snapshot of hiring trends and demands in food and agriculture.
The new survey updates a previous Planning for Tomorrow report from five years earlier.
Among the key finding are:
▪ 44 per cent of food employers and 56 per cent of agriculture employers surveyed project a general increase in the average number of new hires over the next five years.
▪ 77 per cent of food employers and 79 per cent of agriculture employers have a preference for formal training in food and agriculture graduates.
▪ 50 per cent of food and 57 per cent of agriculture employers surveyed stated that more than half of their employees require or have post-secondary education.
▪ 51 per cent of food respondents and 67 per cent of agriculture respondents reported difficulties in finding recruits.
Employers in the agri-food sectors indicated a demand for co-op programs and experiential learning.
