You may be surprised to learn that Australia has a better handle on the sheep population than on the workforce which powers our agricultural sector[1].
Jo Hargreaves, Senior Program Manager at Wine Australia, says having granular, up-to-date workforce data is crucial when it comes to planning for future wine sector needs, including policy development, research and progress monitoring around staff recruitment and retainment strategies.
“Put simply, without accurate workforce data, government and industry are flying blind and workforce strategies, policies and plans may be poorly informed and targeted,” Jo says.
'Workforce data' refers to statistics and insights that help create a clear picture of who is working in an industry, where gaps may exist and what the future needs will be (see boxed information below).
It's the type of information needed by employers, government bodies and industry leaders to help understand skills gaps or needs and labour demand. In a sector as dynamic as viticulture and wine, having a clear picture of the workforce is no longer just helpful—it’s essential for future success.
Difficulty recruiting and retaining staff is an issue being experienced across many Australian industries with strong competition for workers across the country. The wine sector has its own set of challenges with the highly-seasonal nature of wine production coupled with broader demographic considerations and economic constraints.
- The May 2024 results of the Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) Recruitment Experiences and Outlook Survey indicated that 56% of recruiting employers stated they had difficulty hiring staff.
- A separate 2023 JSA report on recruitment difficulty trends showed that these challenges were being felt more strongly in some regional areas where recruitment difficulty rates were reported as being greater than 75 per cent. The long-term trend of recruitment difficulty has shown consistent decreases since its peak in mid-2022 largely due to constraints because of COVID-19.
- In response to tight labour market dynamics, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) labour use surveys indicate the two common adjustments made across horticulture and viticulture businesses include the use of advanced machinery (such as automatic fruit picking machines and driverless tractors) to reduce their demand for labour and increasing the hours worked by the existing workforce.
Labour shortages in the wine sector are being felt worldwide. A recent report revealed that nearly half the companies surveyed across the globe experienced worker shortages in 2021-22[2].
The wine sector, and the broader agricultural sector, share the challenge of understanding and managing the workforce moving forward but some positive developments are underway.
The Mapping the Workforce of Australian Agriculture report, spearheaded by AgriFutures Australia in collaboration with the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF), the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), and various Research and Development Corporations (RDCs), takes a deep dive into this issue.
Jo Hargreaves says the report identifies ways to improve the design, collection, availability and analysis of workforce data in agriculture. By doing so, it is hoped pathways are created for the industry to better plan its workforce needs—both now and in the future.
One promising initiative is the Agricultural Data Integration Project (AgDIP), a collaboration between ABARES and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
AgDIP has successfully integrated two major datasets—the Farm-level Longitudinal Agricultural Dataset (FLAD) and the Business Longitudinal Agricultural Data Environment (BLADE)—which could provide valuable insights into the agricultural workforce.
The integration of these big datasets represents a step forward in making data more accessible and useful for the agriculture sector.
Work is also underway to develop new indicators to better understand workforce attraction and retention.
“Once these indicators are fully developed, standard questions can be drafted and piloted for use in industry-led or other research tools,” Jo says.
Once complete, the indicators and metrics are expected to close data gaps and provide valuable insights into why people enter and stay in agricultural jobs, why they leave and how to retain labour.
“When it comes to our sector, Wine Australia has a valuable role to play,” Jo says. The outcomes of various cross-sectoral national projects are intended to support policymakers, industry leaders, educational institutions and agricultural businesses in developing targeted strategies to strengthen the workforce.
“By staying involved, alongside other agricultural commodities, we signal our intent to be part of the collective effort. We also need to be aware of opportunities Wine Australia can leverage to support grapegrowers and winemakers to maintain the workforce they need,” she says.
