All Reports
BAKERY SURVEY REPORT. SECURING CANADA'S BAKERY WORKFORCE
Published: November 27, 2024

Bakery Sector Report

Share this with your social community

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

78% Most bakery processors are optimistic about the outlook of their business.

64%

47%

Nearly half of Canada’s bakery processors reported not being able to fill positions or chronic recruitment challenges.

The most prominent HR challenge identified in the sector is a lack of applicants with proper training, viewed as at least somewhat of a challenge by 64% of respondents

35%

Bakery processors reported an increase in recruitment challenges over the past year, with 18% indicating a significant increase.

45%

Fewer than half of bakery processors reported offering benefits at their plant or organization, one of the lowest proportions across the food and beverage processing industry.

60%

Bakery manufacturers cited kitchen positions as most difficult to recruit for, specifically certified bakers (37%).

More than half of Bakery processors reported reducing workers hours (58%) and laying off workers (56%) as a result of COVID-19, a significantly higher portion compared to other food and beverage processors.

METHODOLOGY AND RESPONSES

How we did it

100 Bakery processors responded to this survey and participated either online or by telephone between February and May 2020. The extended time in f ield was due to COVID –19 pandemic. It wasn’t possible to ask as many questions in the phone version of the survey as opposed to the online version. As such the number of respondents is indicated by N for every chart and ranges from 22 to 100 depending on the question.

Who we surveyed: N= 100 Bakery processing employers surveyed
Region Survey Responses
BC 18
AB 19
SK/MB 4
ON 34
QC 17
Atlantic Canada 7
Not Specified 1
TOTAL 100

The majority of the questions in this report were asked to food and beverage processors across the country, there were 740 responses in total to the survey. The findings of the overall survey are available on the FPSC website (https://fpsc-ctac.com/reports/) in the report titled: 2020 Labour Market Information Survey Report – Canadian Food & Beverage Manufacturing Industry Report

BAKERY PROCESSORS SURVEY

Overview

Total Bakery Employment 46,691; Number of Bakery Employees covered by our survey 5883; Percentage of Employees covered by our survey 13%; Total Bakery Establishments 2061; Number of Establishments covered by our survey 100; Percentage of Establishments covered by our survey 5%

OTHER FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRY PROFILE

In a Snapshot

Products Manufactured: Retail bakery 66%; Cookies 49%; Frozen bakery products 45%; Commercial Bakeries 37%; Doughs 29%; Other 24%; Flour 12%; Pasta 5%; Crackers 5%; Dont' know 1%

BAKERY PROCESSING INDUSTRY PROFILE

43% of processing facilities manufacture gluten free products; 63% of processing facilities have an on-site retail location

BAKERY PROCESSING WORKFORCE PROFILE

Bakery processors mainly operate small to medium size facilities:

* Includes both filled and vacant positions

Size of Processing Facilities, Paid Positions*

0 to 9: 39%; 10 to 49: 37%; 50 to 99: 11% ; 100 to 199: 5%; 200 or more: 6%; Don't know: 2%

Employment Size

Question: On average, in 2019 how many paid positions were…?
Average Paid Positions, Share (%)
Filled by women: 74%; Filled by workers under the age of 30: 48%; Filled by recent permanent immigrants (arrived within last 5 years): 23%; Filled by workers over the age of 55: 16%; Unionized: 9%; Filled by workers with physical or mental disabilities:3%; Filled by First Nations, Inuit, or Metis individuals: 2%
On average, nearly three-quarters of paid positions in the baking industry are filled by women.

Employment by Occupation

Average number of people employed

Total Bakers: 6; Certified Bakers: 3; Apprentice Bakers: 1; Chef/Cook: 2; Entry Level General Labourers: 14; Skilled/Semi-Skilled Process Control + Machine Operators: 3; Retail Salespersons: 3; Management, Finance + Administration:6; Quality Control + Assurance: 3; Delivery Drivers: 2; Any other Occupations: 3

Average number of current vacancies in total

Total Bakers: 0.3; Certified Bakers: 0.2; Apprentice Bakers: 0.2; Chef/Cooks: 0.1; Entry Level General Labourers: 1.4; Skilled/Semi-Skilled Process Control + Machine Operators: 0.3; Retail Salespersons: 0.3; Management, Finance + Administration: 0.2; Quality Control + Assurance: 0.1; Delivery Drivers: 0.1; Any other Occupations: 0.1

Average number of people hired in 2019

Total Bakers: 1.5; Certified Bakers: 1.1; Apprentice Bakers: 0.3; Chef/Cooks: 0.2; Entry Level General Labourers: 3.9; Skilled/Semi-Skilled Process Control + Machine Operators: 0.6; Retail Salespersons: 1.4; Management, Finance + Administration: 0.5; Quality Control + Assurance: 0.4; Delivery Drivers: 0.4; Any other Occupations: 1.0

Highest level of Education Required

Most processors require higher education for management, finance & administration and quality control & assurance positions.

High School Diploma College Diploma / Trade School University Undergraduate Degree CAP/Other Experience/ past training in field None Not Applicable Don’t Know
Total Bakers (n=97) 40% 30% 2% 2% 14% 9% 2%
Certified Bakers (n=67) 13% 52% 3% 1% 1% 6% 19% 3%
Apprentice Bakers (n=51) 37% 20% 2% 18% 20% 4%
Chef/Cooks (n=62) 16% 44% 3% 8% 24% 5%
Entry level General Labourers (n=78) 51% 1% 1% 1% 1% 26% 14% 4%
Skilled/Semi-skilled Process Control + Machine Operators (n=56) 43% 25% 4% 12% 12% 4%
Retail Salespersons (n=38) 37% 8% 5% 21% 24% 5%
Management, Finance + Administration (n=37) 11% 24% 46% 3% 3% 5% 8%
Quality Control +  Assurance (n=72) 17% 29% 26% 6% 10% 10% 3%
Delivery drivers (n=37) 43% 5% 3% 11% 27% 11%
Any other Occupations (n=36) 50% 22% 8% 8% 11%

Business Outlook

Increase significantly:22%; Increase somewhat: 56%; Decrease modestly: 3%; Decrease significantly: 6%; Stay the same: 8%; Don't know: 6%

Business Challenges

Question: How would you rate the following in terms of their impact on your business…..?. The following percentage for each category will follow this pattern: Extreme challenge | Somewhat of a challenge | A little bit of a challenge | Not a challenge | Don't know. Availability of labour: 38%|33%|10%|10%|0%; Regulatory requirements (labelling, certification, quality assurance): 16%|36%|24%|24%|0%; Consumer trends: 8%|28%|35%|27%|2%; Waste reduction and other environmental requirements: 8%|26%|22%|41%|3%; Implementing new technologies: 12%|32%|26%|29%|1%

WORKFORCE AVAILABILITY AND RECRUITMENT

Recruitment Challenges

National Survey of Bakery Processors Nearly half (47%) of Canada’s Bakery processors reported not being able to fill positions or chronic recruitment challenges.

Workforce Availability

22%

Experiencing immediate and persistent challenges throughout the year recruiting and retaining qualified workers and cannot fill vacant positions

25%

Experiencing ongoing challenges recruiting or retaining qualified workers to successfully fill positions

29%

Experiencing occasional or seasonal challenges recruiting orretaining qualified workers. Cannot fill vacancies during peak periods

23%

Experiencing no significant challenges in recruiting or retainingqualified workers

1%

Refusal

Question: How would you describe the general availability of workers you need?
Increased Significantly: 18%; Increased Moderately: 17%; Stayed the Same: 54%; Decreased Moderately: 6%; Decreased Significantly: 1%

35% of Bakery processors reported an increase in recruitment challenges over the past year, with 18% indicating a significant increase.

Bakery Roles Most Difficult to Recruit For

Production Department (Net) 41%; Certified Bakers (With Cert of Qualification) 37%; Administrative Department (Net) 18%; Customer Service Department (Net) 16%; Pastry chef 14%; Retail Salespersons 13%; Chefs / Cooks 12%; Quality Control and Assurance 12%; Entry Level General laborers 11%; Management, Finance and Administration 10%; Other Skilled/Semi-skilled 10%; Process control and machine operators 9%; Production 8%; Don't know 8%; Cake decorator 7%; Kitchen helper 7%; Production/ operations manager 7%; Supervisor/ team leader 4%; Apprentice Bakers/ assistant baker 3%; Delivery drivers 3%; Marketing 3%; Refusal 2%

Human Resource

Approximately half of Bakery processors (52%) report having a dedicated human resources staff or department.
These applies for the future categories: Extreme Challenge | Somewhat of a Challenge | A Little Bit of a Challenge | Not a Challenge at All | Don’t Know: Lack of Qualified applicants: 36%|25%|33%|6%|0%; Lack of applicants with proper training/certification: 36%|28%|22%|8%|6%; Turnover/Retention: 19%|31%|25%|19%|6%; Absenteeism: 17%|25%|33%|19%|6%; Applicants with Wage/Compensation expectations that are too high: 14%|42%|28%|11%|6%; Competition from other employers: 14%|25%|33%|22%|6%; Lack of Applicants with adequate language or communication skills: 28%|31%|19%|17%|6%; Abuse of Sick leave: 14%|22%|28%|31%|6%; Adaptation to new technologies: 6%|17%|31%|39%|8%; Health and Safety network: 8%|11%|36%|39%|6%

Immigration Programs

13% of Bakery processors reported utilizing the TFWP, while 12% reported utilizing the PNP program.

Utilization of Government Programs: Federal Immigration programs (TFWP) (13%); Provincial Immigration programs (PNP) (12%); Other (3%)

Underrepresented Groups

WORKFORCE WAGES AND BENEFITS

In a Snapshot

$14.84 Average hourly starting wage for an entry level front line worker
$17.56 Average hourly starting wage for bakers

Benefits Offered

97%

Extended health or drug plan

77%

Paid days or sick / family leave

23%

Tuition reimbursement

18%

RRSP matching

18%

Pension plan

14%

Workplace perks

9%

Other

5%

Bonus

TRAINING AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

In a Snapshot

$4,455 Annual Training Budget
Training Tools: On-the-job training: 92%; In-house team members who provide training: 89%; Manuals, Handouts, or Quizzes: 68%; Group talks: 62%; Presentations: 51%; Seminars, conferences or webinars: 51%; Private trainers or consultants (external): 43%; Online training, computer based training: 38%; Training materials from headquarters: 35%; College or University courses: 16%

Automation in the Bakery Sector

The majority (72%) of bakery processors reported adopting some level of automation in the production processes.

Educational Programming

Question: How would you describe the Educational Programming designed to produce graduates for your sector?

Nearly the same share of processors (44%) think the educational programming is inadequate or non-existent.

Perceived Threat

IMPACT OF COVID-19

Threat Level: Very high (22%); High (20%); Somewhat High (36%); A little (14%); None (6%)

Production Volumes

Reduction (70%); Increase (24%); No Change (6%)

Impact of COVID-19

Decline in number of workers available

45%

Decline in availability of raw materials or supplies

46%

Decline in orders from customers

68%

Closure due to health concerns

22%

Decline in cash flow

48%

Action Taken

Increased outsourcing

6%

Allowed employees to work from home

16%

Reduced workers’ hours

58%

Laid-off workers

56%

SECURING CANADA'S BAKERY WORKFORCE. fpsc-ctac.com Food Processing Skills Canada (FPSC) 3030 Conroy Road, Suite 201 Ottawa, Ontario K1G 6C2 Phone: 613.237.7988 Toll Free: 1.877.963.7472

CONTENTS