Extract from ABC News
An unemployed man who says he would be willing to "live out of his car" to get a fruit-picking job is calling for the industry to be more open-minded as it seeks to solve its 26,000-worker shortage.
Key points:
- Scott Watson has been rejected from fruit-picking jobs in multiple states, despite the industry facing a shortfall of 26,000 workers
- Most farms source their workers through job placement agencies rather than direct approaches from applicants
- A Southern Downs grower finds offering incentives, plus a more flexible approach to hiring help, helps buck the national trend of labour shortages
Scott Watson, 53, said he had contacted about a dozen companies in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, several of which he had seen quoted in media reports about labour shortages, to ask for work in the past year.
All rejected the former business owner and financial planner, who lost his job at the start of 2020 and is not eligible for government benefits.
"I'm willing to do anything. I'd be willing to live out of my car until I can secure something.
"I've done all sorts of fruit picking in my uni days … I've done all those jobs working in pine forests, in Belanglo and south-east South Australia and Victoria."
Employers 'looking for a panacea'
Since losing his job, Mr Watson has spent time volunteering as well as working for the Australian and Queensland electoral commissions.
He said he would be able to relocate from Brisbane to most regional areas in a matter of days, but the orchard owners he applied to were sceptical.
"In most cases … they've come back to me and said, for whatever reason, they'd got local [labour-hire] contractors to fill the void," Mr Waton said.
"I suspect they're looking for a panacea. I'm one person and they might need hundreds."
He believed his age also played a role in employers' reluctance to hire him.
"But I can run 5 kilometres in under 30 minutes, I can work all day in the sun," Mr Watson said.
Industry says agencies are key
Industry members in southern Queensland have previously spoken of the urgency of getting enough pickers before the Granite Belt's peak harvest period from February to April.
Granite Belt Growers Association president Angus Ferrier said most workers were sourced through job placement agencies rather than direct approaches to employers.
"With one phone call [to an agency] I can basically start the search for any number of workers and know that the people who arrive on my farm have been screened for their suitability for the job," he said.
"Only the bigger farming operations … have the facility to do the pre-employment checks in-house.
But Mr Watson said he believed the industry needed to be more flexible if it was serious about solving the worker shortage.
"I've been a business owner so I know what it takes to get good people — I think I'm one of them," he said.
Mr Ferrier said age was not a barrier to employment in the sector as long as workers were physically fit.
"Personally, we've employed plenty of people aged 50 years and above over the years," he said.
Flexibility pays off
At Lyra, south of Stanthorpe, tomato and capsicum grower Jessica Andreatta has successfully found workers by offering job flexibility and embracing new employment avenues.
She and her husband had already planned to buy the neighbouring farm and now have dedicated its cottage for staff use, giving some employees discounted accommodation.
"We looked at a number of other different avenues [to attract workers] as well: social media, friends, family, putting the word out there that we wanted people," Ms Andreatta said.
"We've got a few Australians, more than we'd usually have — people who'd lost their jobs or have quit their jobs during COVID.
"We've got retirees as well who've said, 'We just want a break from our professional lives.'"
Joris Robles moved to Australia from France 18 months ago and found work at a local apple orchard by approaching staff directly.
"It's not a hard job, it's just long. You have to stay focussed the whole day," he said.
"It's a really great experience meeting people and living a life you don't usually live."
No comments:
Post a Comment