Attracting and retaining staff in Australia's beef, sheep and pastoral wool industries

Summary

Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) and Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) commissioned this study as a response to the current gaps in both the understanding and solutions to the problems of securing a skilled and stable labour force. This study is the first in Australia to consider the problems of attraction and retention from both the employer and employee perspectives. The study identifies the drivers of attraction and retention (that is employee engagement) for each of the pastoral livestock industries (Northern Beef, Southern Beef, Pastoral Wool and Lamb and Sheep meat). At the industry level, it examines whether retention is a farm level issue or an industry level issue. The study also specifically explores whether the mining industry acts as a major competitor for labour. In addition to identifying drivers, the study draws on survey results to estimate the size of the problem. The study estimates the size of the labour shortage and the extent to which employee turnover is a problem. These estimates consider each of the sub sectors, as well as the industries as a whole. The report concludes with recommendations for both the industry and farm levels.