How the Covid pandemic exposed deep cracks in the Australian farm labour model
Written by Kate Burke from the Guardian
Astute farm business owners and managers are recognising the need to invest in and develop their people – whether they are related or not
The Covid pandemic turned off the cheap labour tap. That has delivered a “come to Jesus” moment for employers of farm labour.
But people shortages are not a new thing in the bush. The underemployment dilemma has been building for a while. John Goldsmith, the former principal of Longerenong Agricultural College, said a decade ago: “It’s not a skills shortage, it’s a people shortage.”
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Written by Kate Burke from the Guardian
Astute farm business owners and managers are recognising the need to invest in and develop their people – whether they are related or not
The Covid pandemic turned off the cheap labour tap. That has delivered a “come to Jesus” moment for employers of farm labour.
But people shortages are not a new thing in the bush. The underemployment dilemma has been building for a while. John Goldsmith, the former principal of Longerenong Agricultural College, said a decade ago: “It’s not a skills shortage, it’s a people shortage.”
Continue reading...
Since you’re here …
… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading the Guardian than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help. The Guardian’s independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our perspective matters – because it might well be your perspective, too.
If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. Support the Guardian – it only takes a minute. Thank you.
normally sorted it out.