Agriculture industry looks to refugee population for labour shortage solution.

A pilot project aimed at matching immigrant and refugee job-seekers with agricultural employers has found some success in Alberta, though the program's partners acknowledge that longer-term solutions for the province's labour-starved farms and processing plants are needed. Since January, 29 newcomers to Canada have found employment in southern Alberta's agriculture industry as a result of a partnership between the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council and the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society. The program — which has worked with 155 newly arrived job-seekers in total, including 18 Syrian refugees — seeks to raise awareness among newcomers about opportunities available in an industry that consistently struggles to attract and retain workers. There are many reasons why agricultural employers report difficulties attracting labour, including the hollowing out of the rural population base as well as the seasonal nature of farm work. New restrictions on the federal government's temporary foreign worker program have also exacerbated the problem. While some agricultural employers — including JBS and Cargill, owners of the Brooks and High River plants respectively — have been successfully tapping into immigrant and refugee populations for years as a source of labour, it's a new concept for others who may not know how to go about accessing this potential work force. In addition, employment agencies and immigrant settlement organizations — who are usually based in larger cities — haven't always been aware of the opportunities that exist in agriculture and as a result, may be less likely to present farm jobs as an option to their clients. continue