Ontario · Job Bank numbers
Careers in agriculture in Ontario
Agriculture is not one career. It is farm management, animal health, greenhouse and nursery growing, equipment, food processing and more, and Job Bank counts them under different headings. This list pulls the main ones together.
Published Last reviewed How we research and correct this
Some roles on this page are on farms. Others, like veterinarians and food processing operators, are in the wider agri-food world that depends on farms.
16 jobs. Jobs with a link to our own guide are marked.
| Job | Outlook 2025–2027 | Median pay | Women | Usually needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Managers in agricultureOur guide | Good | $31.25/hr | 28% | Management |
| Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processingOur guide | Moderate | $23.00/hr | 31% | High school |
| Heavy-duty equipment mechanicsOur guide | Moderate | $35.00/hr | <5% | College or apprenticeship |
| Pet groomers and animal care workersOur guide | Moderate | $19.00/hr | 83% | No formal education |
| Animal health technologists and veterinary techniciansOur guide | Moderate | $22.00/hr | 94% | College or apprenticeship |
| Livestock labourers | Good | $19.50/hr | 49% | No formal education |
| Nursery and greenhouse labourers | Good | $20.50/hr | 54% | No formal education |
| Specialized livestock workers and farm machinery operatorsOur guide | Good | $21.15/hr | 28% | High school |
| Landscape and horticulture technicians and specialistsOur guide | Limited | $31.05/hr | 25% | College or apprenticeship |
| Harvesting labourers | Good | $17.95/hr | 46% | No formal education |
| Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers | Good | $22.50/hr | 28% | High school |
| VeterinariansOur guide | Good | $60.00/hr | 65% | University degree |
| Agricultural service contractors and farm supervisors | Moderate | $23.00/hr | 31% | College or apprenticeship |
| Managers in horticultureOur guide | Moderate | $23.25/hr | 36% | Management |
| Agricultural and fish products inspectorsOur guide | Moderate | $35.40/hr | 46% | College or apprenticeship |
| Agricultural representatives, consultants and specialistsOur guide | Limited | $36.32/hr | 33% | University degree |
Before you act on this
How to read the list
- Job Bank counts people who work in a job, not the farms they run. Many farm owners report as 'managers in agriculture', so that row is one of the biggest on the list.
- Pay on farms is hard to compare because a lot of it is not an hourly wage. Owners earn what is left after costs. Treat the pay column as the going rate for employed workers.
- The 'Women' column is the share of people in that job who are women, from Job Bank. It describes who does the work today, not who is allowed to.
Source: Job Bank Ontario outlooks and wages (Employment and Social Development Canada, from Statistics Canada data), each job linked to its own report. See every job in one table.
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