Human resources professionals across Canadian agriculture reported that competing for talent is their biggest challenge, according to the 2021-2022 AgCareers.com Canadian Agribusiness HR Review. Competition for talent was noted as the top reason employers will do more graduate recruitment.
The Agribusiness HR Review provides a range of human resource practices relevant to participating agribusinesses over the last 12 months. The annual Agribusiness HR Review survey, conducted by AgCareers.com, highlights various strategies used in both large and small ag businesses, across a variety of agricultural sectors, to win talent. Human resource managers and business leaders from 93 agriculture companies participated in AgCareers.com’s 15th edition Canadian Agribusiness HR Review. Equipment, manufacturing, and technical companies comprised 16% of the participants.
Beyond competition for talent, employee retention was the second most frequently listed challenge. More than half of organizations said they will focus on retention practices in 2022 as part of their talent strategy.
The practice of measuring employee experience can help to keep the pulse of the organization. More than half of agribusinesses reported they measure employee satisfaction and engagement. Seventy-six percent conducted exit interviews with employees.
The top method Canadian agribusinesses used to keep employees challenged and productive in their roles is providing training and development opportunities for current staff. The most common implementation was financial assistance for external study/tuition.
Compensation is often linked to retention strategies as well. Beyond training, the other top approaches to motivate employees were bonus/incentives, remuneration, and promotion.
During the last 12 months, 85% of agribusinesses increased employee salaries; likewise, 85% expect to increase salaries in the next year.
Discover more about what other Canadian ag companies are doing to engage, retain and recruit. Find out in the full Agribusiness HR Review report:
- Performance Reward Systems
- Workforce Development
- Employee Attrition
- Flexible Staffing
- Bonus and Incentive Schemes
- Recruitment Practices
Download your free copy of the full report by visiting the Market Research page at www.AgCareers.com. A separate U.S. edition is also available.
By Bonnie Johnson
Bonnie Johnson has more than twenty years of professional marketing experience, including nine years with AgCareers.com. As a marketing specialist, she supports the AgCareers.com team and brand through marketing and communications efforts. This includes internal and external communications, email marketing, company branding, market research, and data analysis. Please send questions and/or comments to bonnie.johnson@agcareers.com.
