ABARES releases report on agricultural labour needs

ABARES has released its latest report on Labour use in Australian agriculture: Analysis of survey results.  

The survey aimed to build a statistical picture of the labour needs of the farming sector, and the impact of COVID-19 on these needs. 

View the full report and statistics here. 

Key points: 

• The effects of COVID-19 on the Australian agricultural workforce have been most directly felt in horticulture. 
• The total number of workers used by horticulture farms declined around 8 per cent (11,100 workers) from 2019–20 to 2020–21, mainly due to a reduction in the number of seasonal Working Holiday Makers (WHMs). 
• The total number of workers from the WHM scheme and from other overseas visa programs used on farms declined by around 26 per cent (9,800 workers) from 2019–20 to 2020–21, as a year-round average. 
• Despite the decline in the number of workers, overall horticulture output levels are estimated to have remained relatively steady. This is primarily due to an improvement in seasonal growing conditions, as well as a range of adaptations that many horticulture producers made, including increasing the hours worked by the existing workforce, altering production systems and by employing more Australians and overseas residents already in Australia. 
• The reduction in the number of workers used in 2020–21 was primarily among larger horticulture farms. A relatively high proportion (62 per cent) of large farms reported experiencing more recruitment difficulty in 2020–21. 
• Between 1 November 2020 and 30 September 2021, there were 5,619 agreements under AgMove. Of these AgMove agreements, 1,561 (28 per cent) were entered by Australians and 4,058 (72 per cent) by eligible visa holders. 
• The total number of workers from the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) schemes used on horticulture farms is estimated to have declined by around 9 per cent (800 workers) from 2019–20 to 2020–21.  
• The total number of Australian resident workers used on horticulture farms remained relatively steady over the period, however it is likely that they increased their hours worked per month in order to maintain production levels.