The field of opportunity in Canada’s traditional sectors

Young Canadians across the country are heading back to their post-secondary campuses this week. But as these students begin to consider the careers they’ll take on in the future, many will not be thinking about the emerging opportunities in our traditional sectors.

Our next great skills challenge in Canada is to connect our youth with these new opportunities in industries like oceans and agriculture. To do that, we not only need more skills mobility in our workforce, but more mobility period.

When I speak with young people about their future – especially around this time of year – I often encourage them to get on the road, by either spending time abroad or looking beyond the big cities in Canada for work placements. This not only gives young people exposure to new experiences to draw on, it also gives them access to new digital jobs in traditionally non-digital fields.

RBC recently cast light on one of oldest and most innovative sectors in the Canadian economy in a new report called Farmer 4.0.  

Our agriculture sector produces a lot more than the food we eat. It harvests tons of data that enables our farms to operate in efficient and environmentally sustainable ways. 

This new report – which showcases the ambitious people who are helping reinvent Canada’s agriculture industry – represents the latest in a series of studies we’re leading on the impact of automation on our country’s economy.

For young Canadians, a career in agriculture can be a field of opportunity with its diverse range of jobs across the country. But the sector needs more people with backgrounds in areas like engineering, computer and data science, environmental science, and human resources to help feed a fast-growing global population.

Indeed, sustaining Canada’s role as a supermarket to the world presents massive growth opportunities for us at home. So much so, the sector’s annual GDP could exceed $50 billion by 2030, up from about $30 billion today. 

To reach this target, however, we’ll need government, industry and education to come together to overcome a number of big challenges. 

The sector faces a severe labour shortage. We don’t have enough qualified people to take full advantage of the technologies available to producers. And Canadian investment in agriculture tech lags behind competing nations – a challenge we are facing in several of our flagship industries.

Our report offers a road map forward. We call for a national strategy to plan for future labour needs. Additionally, we need to tap new sources of labour to reduce shortages. We must accelerate industry-wide data governance standards to ensure our producers can access the best insights to grow into the future.

If we make the right moves, we can solidify and extend Canada’s leadership position in the world, create a more sustainable food system, and provide exciting career opportunities for Canadian youth.

Feeding our country – and the world – is an important calling. It’s something that has enabled our country to stand tall on the global stage for some time. Now we look to a new generation of digitally-savvy producers to take up the mantle. Their success will serve us all well.