Specialized livestock workers and farm machinery operators in Wood Buffalo - Cold Lake

The employment outlook will be Moderate for specialized livestock workers and farm machinery operators (NOC 84120) in the Wood Buffalo - Cold Lake region for the 2025-2027 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to a few new positions.
• Not many positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are a moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

• Occupations in agriculture continue to be in demand due to difficulties with recruitment and retention in the sector.
• Employment in agriculture has been on the decline since 2014, decreasing by 42% from 2014 to 2024.
• The risk of extreme weather may cause financial hardship for some farm operations and impact employment opportunities.
• Demand for this occupation is driven by global demand and trade for food commodities. Some food commodities are currently tariff exposed and subject to economic cycles.

Here are some key facts about specialized livestock workers and farm machinery operators in the Wood Buffalo - Cold Lake region:

• Approximately 160 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
• Specialized livestock workers and farm machinery operators mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Agriculture (NAICS 111, 112, 1151, 1152): more than 95%