National & Regional
Data
In 2022, Canada’s food and beverage manufacturing industry was made up of approximately 13,150 establishments contributing $35B to Canada’s GDP and directly employing nearly 300,000 people. In the same year, the value of Canadian food and beverage exports was estimated at $54.3B accounting for 7% of Canada’s total exports.
Sector Profiles
There are over 7,600 food and beverage processing businesses operating in the sector that employ at least one person and the vast majority of these establishments are small or medium-sized businesses, with roughly 91% of food and beverage processors in Canada having fewer than 100 paid employees.
Labor Market
Tightness
While this concept applies to economic sectors in Canada it is particularly serious for food and beverage manufacturers — especially those located in semi-rural and rural regions of the country.
Canadian Education Data
The huge variety of occupations and career paths available in Canada’s food and beverage manufacturing industry is reflected in the educational landscape through colleges, universities, private trainers, and associations. In the fall of 2019, there were 490 industry-relevant programs of study provided by 160 institutions, offering the opportunity for a mix of theoretical instruction and practical application.
Fast Fact
The Government of Canada has announced that to make up for the shortfall in 2020 due to Covid-19, the country will welcome more than 1.2 million newcomers between 2021 and 2023, in addition to more than 400,000 new permanent residents every year from 2021 to 2023.
Resources
Videos & Webinars
On demand videos & webinars on a variety of topics.
Career Ladders
Learn about career ladders in the food and beverage processing industry.
Employer Programs
Employer programs for Canada’s food and beverage processing industry.
Featured reports
Highlights Brief From Canadian Meat Processing
Highlights from a Labour Market Information Study of Canada’s Meat Processing Industry
Labour Market Information Survey
With so many companies and processors in the food and beverage industry struggling with employment, such as hiring, vacancy, retention and etc. this survey report, Labour Market Information Survey looks at some of key issues that might be contributing to this. There were 740 food and beverage companies that were surveyed across Canada from Atlantic Canada to British Colombia in a variety of sectors, to make sure a comprehensive view was seen. Different aspects were examined like industry training, government programs, HR processes and more to really understand the challenges the industry as whole is facing.
Highlights Brief From Atlantic Seafood Processing
Highlights from a Labour Market Information Study of Canada’s Fish and Seafood Processing Industry
Your Next Worker
With more and more positions going unfilled in the food and beverage processing industry, Food Processing Skills Canada conducted some research to see what are the current perspectives of the most promising segments of the population to fill these needed positions. In Your Next Worker, we surveyed four population segments (i.e., Youth, Tenuously Attached, Recent Immigrants and Indigenous People) to see what their perceptions would be working in various food processing industries. These four segments were chosen for a number of reasons like significantly more likely to look for employment or relatively high unemployment rates. When exposed to fact based information about the industry, their perspectives shifted and for some there was some great positive impact. This gives hope to the possibility of having these vital jobs filled and you finding your next worker.
Canadian Meat and Poultry LMI – Executive Summary
Securing Canada’s Meat Workforce – Real Challenges, Practical Solutions, Fresh Perspectives
