Looking for a Job in High Tech?

With an ever-growing population, the food industry continues to grow.  In the US, the food industry is expected to grow at roughly 2.9% through 2022. 

Actually, Global growth rates for most segments are double U.S. growth rates, except for meat and related products (8.5 %), and candy and confections (8%), which have higher rates of global growth compared to those of the United States. But as you can see, the market continues to see solid growth globally. 

So why is it when I speak to food processors both small and large, the number one problem they cite isn’t what you’d expect. When I got into the industry years ago I thought the big challenges would be associated with regulatory concerns, margins or even supply chain. 

Nope, I was surprised to hear it was sourcing, attracting, and retaining a reliable workforce.  That was almost a decade ago and the problem not only persists, some owners tell me the problem has gotten worse.

Now lets be frank, some food manufacturing jobs don’t have the best hours or work environments, but not all food jobs result in you working on the plant floor of an abattoir. Now that is a challenging environment for some, while other are happy to do that for years. 

However, like other industries, the food industry is evolving and increasingly turning to technology to better compete today and in to the future. 

This means there is a growing number of high-tech and management jobs in the food industry looking for people to help them tackle their challenges around food safety, traceability and e-commerce. 

Modern and emerging technologies like Artificial intelligence (AI), Blockchain, the Internet of Things IoT), sensors, RFID, location services and other emerging technologies are being leveraged to enable greater transparency within the supply chain.

The Internet has transformed all of our lives and has also impacted food business models with the convenience of e-commerce. Traceability is being enhanced with software, scanners and IoT devices related to temperature, humidity and other environmental monitoring.

This is cutting edge stuff and the food industry is starving to
find help to implement, manage and maintain these technologies that will
streamline supply chain operations, food safety and their bottom line.

If you are interested in an interesting job in high tech, that
might not necessarily mean Google, that job might be waiting for you at a Maple
Leaf Foods or a local food company.  You just need to look.

Author: Wayne Slater

More blogs from Wayne:

FoodGrads ‘Why you are important! By Wayne Slater, co-author, Food Traceability for Dummies

Traceability, Not Just a Buzzword