There were 280,991 employees in the agriculture sector in 2024, edging up 0.1% from 2023.
Almost half of all agricultural workers were employed in horticulture industries in 2024, led by greenhouse, nursery and floriculture production (+1.6% to 64,682), and vegetable and melon farming (+3.5% to 36,105), while employment in fruit and tree nut farming (-9.0% to 28,271) declined year over year. Oilseed and grain farming remained the second-largest employer in the sector, with its number of agricultural employees rising 1.1% to 49,456.
Seasonal employees accounted for almost half (48.6%) of all agricultural workers in 2024 (136,603), down from 49.5% in 2023, continuing the gradual decline in the share of seasonal employees in recent years. Full-time employment rose 1.8% to 103,948, while part-time employment was up 1.5% to 40,440.
Farms in Ontario continued to employ the largest number of workers (83,363) in 2024, up 1.2% from 2023. Quebec followed with 69,717 employees (+0.9%).
In 2024, employment in the agriculture sector declined year over year in Alberta (-0.3% to 37,946) and British Columbia (-4.3% to 30,905).
Fewer temporary foreign workers employed in agriculture sector
Following a sharp increase in 2023, the number of temporary foreign workers employed in the agriculture sector was down 6.2% to 74,789 in 2024.
In 2024, temporary foreign workers in agriculture continued to come primarily from Mexico (32,036) and Guatemala (19,443), which together accounted for the majority of temporary foreign workers. Jamaica (8,812) remained the third-largest source country.
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