By CRAIG HOUGH, DIRECTOR, STRATEGY & POLICY
A CRITICAL shortage of employees is stalling growth in the Australian dairy industry.
While issues around sourcing employees are not new, there are factors which are now making it even harder to find and retain staff.
As an industry, we are working with both the Federal and State governments to find ways to address the workforce issue with a mix of lobbying and creative solutions such as projects to implement the National Agriculture Workforce Strategy
We know and understand that the dairy industry is changing. Farms are getting bigger. The average herd size has lifted from 93 cows in 1985 to 276 in 2018/2019, and there is a growing number of 1000-cow herds. Managing this increasing complexity requires more higher skilled staff.
Not only is it difficult to find staff who are willing to work within the industry, it is also hard to find employees with the skills required to manage and work within larger, more complex operations.
The situation was brought to a head last year with COVID-19, as potential employees and even casual staff like AI technicians faced border closures and the inability to travel freely to work.
Here, Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF) and Dairy Australia stepped in to find an immediate, workable solution. It was the tip of the iceberg though, as the Australian Dairy Plan had already identified a capable workforce was a key to future dairy industry productivity.
As such, ADF has been working hard on a number of fronts to lift not only the number of employees but the profile of the industry to attract staff.
The solutions we are working on aim to deliver a bigger field of employees as soon as possible because of the dire need across the industry.
The measure of success will be that by 2025, all sections of the industry will have access to the people they require to meet their operating needs, and who are trained in the skills required for their roles.
We believe that potential employees who see a career path within the dairy industry is key to growing the workforce.
Offering that career pathway and lifting dairy positions into the professional realm could attract more applicants of a higher quality if they could see the ability to progress professionally. If they are engaged and can see a satisfying future career, they are also more likely to stay within the industry.
Making this happen is important, so ADF has been working with education providers to develop a flexible means of study which can be taken up across institutions and across borders. ADF has also stressed the importance of offering “bite size” learning, which recognises the inability of employees to leave the farm for longer periods.
We know that capacity building in employees is vital in ensuring a skilled workforce as well as retention of that workforce.
It’s why the Pathway for People in Dairy Program, including the Dairy Passport, was launched in September last year was a significant step. ADF working in partnership with Dairy Australia ensured the initiative was fast tracked with government funding support. It offers one-stop shop for both employers and employees, which not only acts as an information source but also provides a portable skills registry.
It is also important to try to remove some of the hurdles for future employees, be they short term casuals or those wanting a longer-term career.
Short term workers are useful for some purposes and JobSeeker applicants can fill employment gaps.
Working around this was one of the recommendations in the National Agriculture Workforce Strategy, so we feel it is important to keep the pressure up on this issue.
Overarching all these efforts must be the push for recognition of dairy, and more broadly agriculture, as an important and valuable industry.
Wanting to be part of a vibrant industry will only add to the other initiatives in terms of attracting employees.
While as the ADF we are taking the lead, we also need help from dairy farmers across the nation.
To find the best solutions, we need input to the collection of employment statistics and modelling, which will help set the scene for future policy development and the creation of employment programs.
WHAT WE ARE DOING
- Working with government through NFF on an agricultural visa for dairy workers
- Pushing educators to offer “bite size” learning for workers with short-leave period
- Lobbying for JobSeekers to fill dairy employment gaps at no risk to their benefits