This description of the job recently appeared in the media – “Grape picker: It’s a wonderful job. The hours are nice, from 5.30 in the morning until about 2 in the afternoon, and the rest of the afternoon is for surfing, drinking or both. The ‘office’ is usually one of the few famous vineyards. Beautiful background with the sun. Physically demanding, but useful and enjoyable. “
Well, despite such an idyllic job, few people in Australia want to do it. The government has been trying for years to find labor to work on farms and vineyards. With the kovid pandemic the problem in the fields became even bigger.
The state aid program for moving to smaller communities in order to take over a certain job, was supposed to fight against that. Financial incentives are provided in the form of compensation, in order to attract Australians to rural areas and help with various harvests and harvests. Up to $ 6,000 per person has been set aside for these purposes.
However, Australians generally believe that the same money they earn on the farm, they can earn for a far less strenuous job in their place of residence, without the need to move.
A recent report by the New South Wales Union claims that some agricultural workers earn only $ 1.25 an hour. In addition, from March 31 until now, only 871 people have received state compensation, which, according to the conclusion of many Ozis, is a gamble that they are not ready for.
A report by Ernst & Young, from the end of last year, estimates that Australia lacks 26,000 workers in this area. Due to lack of manpower, many crops were left to rot or were plowed. The National Register of Lost Crops estimates that the loss in fresh fruits and vegetables is over $ 52 million nationwide.
Workers arrived from Tonga
It is therefore not surprising that the first 200 workers from Tonga arrived in South Australia last week to cover the critical labor shortage and help with agriculture. They were transported straight from the airport to a specially prepared resort of Paringa in Riverland, in order to start a two-week quarantine before the start of work.
The program is expected to cost up to seven million dollars, which is jointly financed by the government of Prime Minister Stephen Marshall and the agricultural sector of South Australia, with an industry contribution of 2,500 dollars per worker.
“South Australia’s primary industry is worth $ 14.1 billion a year, and the lemon season is crucial,” said David Bejam, the minister for primary industry and regional development, adding that the state’s plan is to bring in 1,200 seasonal workers over three months.
According to him, the state government made a significant incentive this year to encourage unemployed locals to harvest fruit, but unfortunately, not enough people responded.
More vacancies
On the other hand, the latest report on vacancies, published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), shows that the number of vacancies in February 2021 was about 26 percent higher than in February last year.
In addition, the number of unemployed per vacancy has decreased significantly, only 2.8 per job, which is lower than before the pandemic.
According to the Guardian’s economic commentator, Greg Jericho, there are a lot of vacancies in Australia, but Ozzy’s laziness is not the reason why these vacancies are not filled. Namely, during the past quarter of a century, when the vacancy rate was around 1.8 percent, as it was last November, it would be expected that the unemployment rate would be around four percent. Instead, it was 6.8 percent.
Similarly, when the vacancy rate of 2.1 percent was recorded in February 2021, which is the highest ever recorded, a record low unemployment rate would be expected. However, instead, it was 5.8 percent.
Is the situation such that the recipients of until recently state subsidies in the form of Jobkeeper assistance or a pandemic allowance on Jobseeker, did not even want to work, because in this way they had higher incomes?
The data show that there are vacancies that most people are not looking for. Therefore, it can hardly be expected that in the near future the state will succeed in resolving the issue of labor in agriculture.
With an extremely low income rate, without secure and sufficient state subsidies, Ozia will find it difficult to decide to accept this job and the industry will again fall on foreign seasonal workers, who have not been able to enter the country for a year due to the pandemic, except for a few entry into special government programs to help domestic fruit growing and agriculture.
100,000 people out of work
After the state subsidies are stopped, an additional 100,000 people are expected to lose their jobs, which will lead to an increase in unemployment in the state. Even as the number of vacancies increases, it is unlikely to reduce the number of unemployed.
3,000 seasons have arrived
More than 3,000 workers from the Pacific islands have come to Australia since the outbreak of Kovid, and only one worker from Papua New Guinea was positive. South Australia, as part of its seasonal employment program, will not accept people from this country where the epidemic has been raging for weeks.
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