Young people establishing careers and jobs in Agri-Food: Bringing the challenges into focus. Discussion Paper – In detail.

Abstract

Agriculture is a key industry in the Australian economy contributing $65 billion (3.5%) to GDP and $36 billion (10%) to national export income. However, there has been an overall reduction in the share of the labour force in agriculture in Australia, reflecting similar reductions in comparable agricultural economies in Ireland and New Zealand. While the reasons for this contraction of the agriculture workforce are complex and multifaceted, the aging nature of the workforce is a crucial factor. In Australia, the agriculture workforce is older on average when compared with other industries of employment. Fewer younger people are entering the sector over time. In this brief summary rep..