Agriculture Sector
The agriculture sector in Canada employs over 243,000 Canadians and currently has a job vacancy rate of more than 14,000. A recent report by the Royal Bank of Canada shows that by 2033, around 40% of Canadian farm operators will retire. Further, the report says that to offset a short-term skills crisis, Canada must accept 30,000 permanent immigrants over the next 10 years to establish their own farms and greenhouses or take over existing ones.
Ways to Immigrate to Canada with an Agricultural Occupation
To fill some of the positions in the agriculture sector, IRCC recently announced that it is extending the Agri-Food Pilot Program and removing occupational caps. Some of eligible occupations are:
- General farm workers
- Farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
- Food processing labourers
- Retail butchers
- Industrial butchers
- Harvesting labourers
Similarly to healthcare workers, there are also dedicated streams under some PNPs for agriculture workers as well.
Tech Sector
The federal budget 2023 aims at investing $20 billion to support the building of major clean electricity and clean growth infrastructure projects. This investment is likely to lead to increased demand in the tech sector.
The report also notes that many of the careers in the clean technology manufacturing sector do not require a university degree, and the average worker compensation in this sector in 2021 was $90,252—well above Canada’s economy-wide average of $69,311.
The rapid growth of the AI sector has also played a part in Canada’s demand for tech workers. Invest in Canada, a government website designed to attract investment in Canada’s tech industry, reported that Canada has 1,032 AI and machine learning companies. In addition, the Global AI Index shows that Canada ranks 4th for its global competitiveness in AI implementation, innovation, and investment.
Ways to Immigrate to Canada with a Tech Occupation
To bring in more tech workers, IRCC offers programs like the Global Talent Stream. This program is part of the Temporary Foreign Workers Program and is designed to encourage the growth of Canada’s tech industry. The program goal is to achieve a processing standard of two weeks once the final application is submitted by the potential employee.
There are also targeted draws through the Provincial Nominee Program. Some examples of provincial tech streams are:
- The BC Tech Stream,
- OINP Tech Draw
- Saskatchewan Tech Talent Pathway
- The Alberta Accelerated Tech Pathway.
