5. Women account for 31% of the workforce
Workforce Overview
0 25 50 75 100
Average
Unpaid family
Lower skill employees
Higher skill employees
Owner-managers
Source: Census (ABS, 2016)
31 69
39 61
35 65
21 79
29 71
Workforce Composition (by Sex, Job Position 2016)
Female Male
6. No post-school qual
49%
Cert III or higher VET Equal
27%
Bachelor degree or Higher
16%
Other qual
8%
Lower levels of formal education than the general Australian workforce
Workforce Overview
Educational attainment of the agricultural workforce 2018
Source: Census (ABS, 2019)
Practical skills and experience are more highly valued, with many of these skills
being learnt on the job.
7. Pacific Labour Scheme
The Australian government supports Australian rural and regional business employers in
recruiting non-skilled, low-skilled and semi-skilled workers from nine Pacific islands and
East Timor, and assists in the formulation of guidelines.
Seasonal Worker Programme
They provide working holiday visas and seasonal worker visas to meet the needs of peak
employment periods.
Australian Apprenticeships Program
The apprenticeship system combines paid work and structured training, which can attract
people of different ages and backgrounds to participate in the industry for the first time
or again.
Career Revive
Supporting employers to attract and retain women returning to work after a career
break. Review physical workplaces, processes, policies, and their workplace culture to
support companies to identify potential barriers that may prevent companies from
attracting talented women back to work.
Current Response The contribution of seasonal agricultural workers to
Australian society in terms of income and social welfare has
long been underestimated.
Moreover, there is a higher risk of exploitation and
discrimination.
The short-term feature of work restricts workers from
participating in skill development training. There is no clear
career development path, which reduces the motivation
for continuous participation and expands recruitment costs.
Not all industries or careers offer apprenticeships.
The revive plan is aimed at the original female employees
and cannot increase the number of female employees.
Result and Impact
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
9. Capabilityapproach:LocatedYouthandWomenintheSector
Youth, especially women and young workforce represent a
large share of student enrolments in agricultural courses
across Australian universities (Wu et al.,2019, p. 16).
Largely informal recruitment process for high
positions (managerial) (NSC, 2020, p. 15);
Public perception of agricultural as a male
oriented industry (Wu et al., 2019, p. 26).
Policy initiatives to focus on
opening access for youth and
women to enter the agricultural
sector.
The experience of young workers are "less taken
into account" in the industries.
Moreover, women are facing a large "gender gap".
These, are reducing their contribution to the wider
economy (Tess, 2015, pp. 6–7).
RESOURCES
CONVERSION
FACTORS
CAPABILITY SETS
AGENCY
Employment in agriculture is also slowly shifting to include a
greater share of youth, esp. women (Wu et al., 2019, p. 8)
FUNCTIONINGS
10. WORKING HOLIDAY VISA 417
82.7%
WORK & HOLIDAY VISA 462
11.4%
SEASONAL WORKER VISA 403
5.9%
Heavily dependent on seasonal migrant
and backpacker labour as a primary
source of labour (Wu. et al., 2019: 10).
A shift for employing seasonal workers
(low-skilled labour) as a short-term
solution (ILO 2020a: 3).
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the
Australian government stipulated new
conditions for Visa Subclass 403 and
Visa Subclass 408 (DHA, 2021).
Source: Department Home Affairs, 2018
Seasonal Workforce
Key Visas of Seasonal Workers
11. 2001 2006 2011 2016
50
40
30
20
10
0
Ageing Workforce
Median Age of Agricultural Workforce - 49 years
40% of workers aged over 55
Young people account for just 24% of the workforce.
Low worker retention
Median Age of Agricultural Workforce
Source: Census (ABS, 2016)
43
47
48
49
Inability to innovate and adapt to
technology change
Shortage of high-skilled workers
12. 18% of Australia’s youth is not in employment, education or training (NEET)
Factors associated with youth that are NEET in:
Employment Pathways and
Youth Transitions: VET
Gender Education Skills Gap
Employers remain reluctant to seek VET graduates due to (IRC Skills Forecast 2021: 11):
· The lack of value assigned to VET
· The belief that credentials are only for entry level positions
· Lack of legislative, regulatory or licensing requirements
· Dissatisfaction with work-readiness of previously employed VET graduates
· The large number of alternatives to VET recognised by employers
13.
14. Scenario 1
Status Quo
Scenario 2
Technological
Revolution
Scenario 3
Regional
Revival
Sector Uncertainties and
Possible Scenarios
Scenario 4
Entrepreneurial
Regions
15. Scenario 1: Status Quo
Lack of infrastructure
investments
Limited Research and
Development
Low retention of
skilled workers
Workforce Implications:
Low demand for high-skilled workers
Low awareness of career opportunities among youth
Lack of workforce skills
Increased migration from rural regions to urban cities
16. Reduced cost of
Automated Farming
Decreased reliance on
regional workforce
Scenario 2: Technological
Revolution
Increased remote
work possibility
Workforce Implications:
Decreases demand for seasonal and migrant workers
Increases demand for high-skilled workers concentrated in cities
New and emerging job opportunities
17. Increased population in
regional areas
Lack of Reserach &
Development
Scenario 3: Regional Revival
Increase in region
tourism & creative
industries
Workforce Implications:
Increased demand for local labour-intensive practises due to
changing consumer preferences
Increased investment in training to integrate agricultural technologies
to on-farm practices
Increased migration toward regional areas
18. Increased Regional
Investment
Increased Demand for
Local Produce
Scenario 4: Entrepreneurial
Regions
Increase in Business by
Returning Residents
Automation decreses demand for low-skilled and seasonal workers.
Increased demand for high-skilled workers to enable new
technologies.
Wage growth with increased demand for regional workforce.
19. Promote agricultural knowledge and diverse career opportunities at all levels of
education, urban and rural
Adapt education curricula to meet the emerging skills requirements of changing
agriculture workforce demands driven by new technologies
Develop and maintain strong linkages between education and training agricultural
occupations
Collaborative, industry led education and training strategies driven by current and
future workforce demands
Actions:
Fit-for-purpose education and training system
Collect and update agricultural workforce data
Stakeholders to share commitment to accountability through measuring and demonstrating the effectiveness of
industry-defined outcomes in education and training strategies
