Labour supply is one of the biggest issues facing the horticulture industry in Australia. Chronic labour shortages regularly force fruit and vegetable growers to leave money on the ground because there is no one to harvest their crops.

To help avoid these critical problems, rural businesses need to have stable access to the circulating supply of backpackers travelling Australia, who can gain extensions on their visa by completing work in rural and regional areas in horticulture.

A new free online service has been developed to facilitate communication between businesses and the backpacking community.

Tree is an employment platform to support hiring of seasonal workers by agricultural businesses in Australia, providing direct access to the backpacker workforce from a single platform.

Businesses can post job listings using a template that helps them communicate information about their needs and the job’s requirements. They will then receive standardised applications for review which can be declined, shortlisted or accepted on the platform.

The newly-launched platform also has a messaging feature that supports document transfers (such as copies of visas or passports) to help businesses access the information they need to manage their employment obligations.

Visit the Tree website to learn more, or email community@explorewithtree.com if you have any questions.

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This post appeared in the AUSVEG Weekly Update published 29 May 2018. Subscribe to the Update using our online form to receive the latest industry news in your inbox every week!