More than 1,000 fewer N.S. agriculture workers in 2023 compared to 7 years prior: StatsCan

Nova Scotia's agriculture sector had more than 1,000 fewer workers in 2023 compared to seven years earlier, according to data recently released by Statistics Canada.

This comes as the president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture said the province could face a shortage of about 2,600 farm workers by 2029. 

"A lot of our industry is impacted, but … horticulture and the fruit producers would be the two that are impacted the largest when there's a labour shortage," said Alicia King.

According to the data, Nova Scotia had 6,161 agriculture employees in 2023, including temporary foreign workers. That's down about 16 per cent from 7,322 employees in 2016. 

Statistics Canada's agriculture and agri-food labour statistics program — the source of this data — focuses on farms that have at least one employee and excludes small farms with reported income under $25,000 and institutional ones like university farms.

King, who is also a farmer, said the industry needs to do a better job of communicating the opportunities and different types of jobs available in agriculture to prospective workers. 

"I put food on my table, but I put food on my neighbour's table as well. And I think … there's something wholesome about that," she said.

At the same time, the data shows that Nova Scotia now appears to be relying more heavily on temporary foreign workers in agriculture.

In both 2023 and 2024, there were more than 1,900 temporary foreign workers employed in Nova Scotia's agriculture industry — a notable increase from the previous four years when that number did not surpass 1,500 workers.

This mirrors the trend seen at the national level.

"These numbers really highlight the important role that migrant workers play in Nova Scotia's food security," said Stacey Gomez, executive director of the Centre for Migrant Worker Rights Nova Scotia.

"The agriculture industry would not be able to operate without their support." 

Gomez said those workers need to be protected from abuse, and called for targeted labour and safety inspections of workplaces that employ them, open work permits — where workers aren't tied to a single employer — and permanent residency status for temporary foreign workers.

A report released in January by human rights organization Amnesty International said Canada's temporary foreign worker program exposes workers to abuse and discrimination.

Meanwhile, a 2023 report from the Royal Bank of Canada said that providing experienced temporary foreign workers with permanent residency could help address labour shortages in the agriculture sector.

The data also indicates there were 212 fewer farms with paid employees in the province in 2023 compared to 2016.

First-generation farmer Paul Wartman said there are people like him who are interested in farming but don't have the experience.

"Even when people do have the experience on how to farm, the second major barrier often comes down to financials and how to financially be sustainable," said Wartman, who is also a Nova Scotia member of the National Farmers Union.

He added that existing farmers need supports to provide mentorship and train people on how to farm.