Harvesting labourers in Lethbridge - Medicine Hat

The employment outlook will be Moderate for harvesting labourers (NOC 85101) in the Lethbridge - Medicine Hat 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 small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

·       Over the years, the size of farms has increased, leading to productivity gains through investments in equipment and a greater reliance on machinery, thereby reducing labor needs on these farms.

·       Artificial intelligence and autonomous technologies continue to be developed for agricultural applications. However, many tasks remain difficult to automate, and the industry must rely on these workers to carry out the work on crop and livestock farms.

·        It is possible that increased demand for local and organic products, non-traditional crops, and the expansion of export markets could create additional employment opportunities for this profession.

·       Employment in the agriculture industry can be sensitive to various factors, including extreme weather conditions.

Here are some key facts about harvesting labourers in the Lethbridge - Medicine Hat region:

• Approximately 320 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
• Harvesting labourers mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Agriculture (NAICS 111, 112, 1151, 1152): more than 95%