Canada’s food and beverage sector needs 173K workers by 2034: report

Canada’s food and beverage sector needs to recruit 173,000 new hires by 2034, a new report says.

Food Processing Skills Canada (FPSC) said nearly 100,000 of the project hires will be needed to replace workers leaving the labour force. Expansion accounts for 43% of total hiring requirements.

The organization’s Labour Market Insights: The Workforce Imperative -- Canada's Food & Beverage Manufacturing Outlook 2026–2034 finds that the sector will need to hire some 19,200 new workers every year to replace departing workers and support continued industry growth.

Operators will be in greatest demand, FPSC said, with 60,800 new hires required by 2034. The industry will also need approximately 34,300 labourers and 19,800 sales professionals.

"This report makes clear that Canada's food workforce challenge is structural, not temporary," said Jennefer Griffith, executive director of Food Processing Skills Canada, in a release. "The sector is growing, demand is strong and the opportunities are significant. But realizing that potential will require focused action to attract, train and retain employees while helping businesses improve productivity."

Alberta leads the forecast for growth and will need 16,800 new hires by 2034, with expansion as the primary driver.

PEI combines the country's highest youth participation in the sector with growth needs that slightly exceed replacement demand of 2,400 new hires. 

Other provinces face sharper challenges. Newfoundland and Labrador must recruit workers equal to 76% of its current workforce, while Nova Scotia needs hires equivalent to roughly two-thirds of its workforce.

Ontario faces the largest absolute requirement at nearly 65,000 new hires.

Food and beverage manufacturing sales reached approximately $173 billion in 2025, up 69% from 2015.

FPSC identified productivity as a growing concern. Food manufacturing productivity declined by an average of 0.17% annually between 2015 and 2024, while unit labour costs increased by 36%. 

Meeting projected demand will require annual employment growth of 2.4%, the report says.

The report recommends that Canada:

• Make the food economy and its workforce a national government priority.
• Incorporate a dedicated workforce strategy into Canada's food security agenda.
• Expand industry-specific training and career-development programs.
• Build stronger skilled-trades and pre-apprenticeship pathways.
• Prepare for retirement-driven replacement demand through certification and clear career progression.
• Improve connections with newcomers, people with disabilities and other underrepresented talent pools.
• Develop national career-awareness initiatives alongside regionally tailored workforce solutions.
• Use detailed labour market intelligence to identify productivity opportunities and guide investment.