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Who does the industry employ?
Who is employed and how many?
The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that Australian horticulture employs 72,800 people across 11,490 individual businesses. Employment in horticulture can be separated into three distinct functional areas:
1. Harvest Labour: harvesting, picking, packing, planting and maintenance (e.g. pruning) of horticultural crops2. Technical Expertise: skilled and semi-skilled roles including supervisors, agronomists, food technologists and food safety specialists3. Management & Administration: farm managers, sales and marketing, category management, human resources and finance and accounting.
1. Harvest Labour: harvesting, picking, packing, planting and maintenance (e.g. pruning) of horticultural crops2. Technical Expertise: skilled and semi-skilled roles including supervisors, agronomists, food technologists and food safety specialists3. Management & Administration: farm managers, sales and marketing, category management, human resources and finance and accounting.
The Harvest Workforce
There are three predominant labour categories making up the harvest workforce; Working Holiday Makers, Seasonal Worker Program and Australians and Permanent Residents.
Working Holiday Makers
The Working Holiday Maker (WHM) program accounts for the majority, approximately 80%, of the fresh produce industry’s harvest labour workforce. Workers in Australia on this visa and engaged in farm work are most often referred to as “backpackers”. WHM Program consists of two streams:
• Working Holiday (subclass 417) visa• Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa
Many WHM only seek employment in fresh produce to fulfill requirements that enable them to access a second or third year WHM visa. WHM are required to complete ‘specified work’ for 88 days to be eligible to receive a second year WHM visa. Harvesting roles within the fresh produce industry are considered specified work and therefore many WHM are employed in harvest roles for only 88 days.
WHMs make up such a large proportion of the fresh produce harvest workforce due to this 88-day requirement for visa extensions. The WHM program allows the fresh produce industry to access a large number of workers that are inherently mobile (i.e. do not have fixed addresses within Australia) and are therefore able to travel to regional Australia to perform work associated with their visa conditions.
WHMs are a vital part of the fresh produce workforce, however, industry’s reliance on this workforce is not without problems. The fluctuating nature of WHM numbers, as demonstrated clearly during the COVID19 pandemic, exacerbates industry’s reliance on labour hire providers and increases difficulty associated with recruitment and workforce planning.
WHMs make up such a large proportion of the fresh produce harvest workforce due to this 88-day requirement for visa extensions. The WHM program allows the fresh produce industry to access a large number of workers that are inherently mobile (i.e. do not have fixed addresses within Australia) and are therefore able to travel to regional Australia to perform work associated with their visa conditions.
WHMs are a vital part of the fresh produce workforce, however, industry’s reliance on this workforce is not without problems. The fluctuating nature of WHM numbers, as demonstrated clearly during the COVID19 pandemic, exacerbates industry’s reliance on labour hire providers and increases difficulty associated with recruitment and workforce planning.
Australians & Permanent Residents
Australian citizens and Permanent residents are the smallest portion of the fresh produce harvest workforce by number, but represent the largest proportion of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) employees. Historically, it has been difficult to attract and retain a local workforce in horticulture, this has been attributed to a number of factors relating to the nature of the work, including the temporary tenure associated with a defined harvest season period (ranging anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months), and the often remote location of fresh produce production.
These factors have had a significant impact on the availability, quality and retention of a highly productive workforce.
Seasonal Worker Program Workers
The Seasonal Worker Program and Pacific Labour Scheme provide between workers to the horticulture industry per year. The Seasonal Worker Program offers workers a Temporary Work (International Relations) visa (subclass 403), this visa type enables qualifying workers to work in Australia for up to 9 months at a time.
The Seasonal Worker Program (SWP) is currently administered by the Department of Education, Skills and Employment and involves program users becoming Approved Employers and being responsible for the ongoing employment, accommodation and welfare of workers. Members of the AFPA are large users of the Seasonal Worker Program and have consistently advocated for the expansion and continued development of this program to support industry’s labour requirements
The Seasonal Worker Program (SWP) is currently administered by the Department of Education, Skills and Employment and involves program users becoming Approved Employers and being responsible for the ongoing employment, accommodation and welfare of workers. Members of the AFPA are large users of the Seasonal Worker Program and have consistently advocated for the expansion and continued development of this program to support industry’s labour requirements
More Information
AFPA & Industry Reports
The AFPA and other industry groups have comissioned a number of workforce reports. A report completed in March 2020 detailing workforce requirements in industry is available here