Employment Outlook

The employment outlook will be good for Labourers in food and beverage processing (95106) in Prince Edward Island for the 2022-2024 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
• A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

The Island economy is projected to moderate over the forecast period which may affect job opportunities to some degree. Factors that may temper the demand for labourers going forward are greater foreign competition from low-cost producers and increased plant automation. However, a lower Canadian dollar could result in an increased demand for domestic manufactured goods.

Many individuals enter this profession on a temporary basis as they seek alternate careers. As a result this occupational group tends to have a high rate of employee turnover, which should create some job openings for potential workers. There are few barriers to entry and low skill requirements. The job duties for labourers can be quite physically taxing and may require working outside of standard business hours, which can deter some individuals from remaining in this position as well.

Here are some key facts about Labourers in food and beverage processing in Prince Edward Island:

• Approximately 350 people work in this occupation.
• Labourers in food and beverage processing mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Food, beverage and tobacco product manufacturing (NAICS 311, 312): 84%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 93% compared to 84% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 7% compared to 16% for all occupations
• 57% of labourers in food and beverage processing work all year, while 42% work only part of the year, compared to 59% and 41% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 42 weeks compared to 41 weeks for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 67% compared to 51% for all occupations
  • Women: 33% compared to 49% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: 15% compared to 11% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 50% compared to 28% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 9% compared to 11% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor’s: 19% compared to 25% for all occupations
  • bachelor’s degree: 7% compared to 17% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 8% for all occupa

Source: Job Bank

Prevailing Wages