Connecting willing workers to jobs in the horticulture sector
Explore the diverse career opportunities driving Australia's $16.2 billion horticulture industry
A career in horticulture creates plenty of opportunities for upward growth. Putting food on the table for millions of families in Australia and abroad makes for a worthwhile and fulfilling career.
And it’s not all about picking and packing. The dynamic and innovative horticulture industry requires a range of diverse skillsets to manage and operate farm business.
The videos below explore some of the diverse but vital roles in the industry and provide an overview of the daily tasks, responsibilities, and career pathways of employees on Australian farms – many who have been able to transfer key skills from seemingly unrelated courses and past occupations to start new and successful careers in horticulture.
Each video challenges the old perception of horticulture as arduous, dirty work to the reality as an innovative, progressive, and sustainable industry.
Australia's $16.2 billion horticulture industry needs a diverse and willing workforce
The horticulture sector is a large, developed and diverse industry which employs a wide range of skilled people. While much of the media attention is focused on harvest labour within the sector, it is often forgotten that the industry requires a range of diverse skillsets to manage and operate their farm business.
To gain an understanding of these opportunities, AUSVEG has created the Grow Your Career video series to showcase the daily tasks, responsibilities, and pathways of current employees on Australian farms.
Many of these roles are in high demand in the horticulture sector. In recent years, the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs approved 31 horticulture industry occupations supporting growers to sponsor workers from overseas to fill these critical occupations. Under the Horticulture Industry Labour Agreement (HILA), producers can access the skilled and semi-skilled workers they need to manage their farm business.
However, the general preference of growers is to always employ locals first where possible, if they have the right skills and attitude. These videos aim to showcase the many varied career opportunities for local and overseas workers in the exciting $15 billion industry.
Find out about Horticulture Industry Labour Agreement for Australian employers
The horticulture sector is the third largest sector within Australian agriculture and comprises fruit, vegetables, nuts, flowers, turf and nursery products.
The industry is developing at a rapid rate as Australian and global consumers chase the best quality fresh produce.
With more than 10,500 businesses located in each state and territory nationally, and employing more than 130,000 people, the sector makes a significant contribution to the well-being and prosperity of people living in rural and regional Australia.
With a total farm gate value of $16.2 billion, the sector has a domestic and international reputation for producing quality produce, due to our high standards across all stages of the supply chain, from farm to consumer.
The horticulture sector is also forecast to be the fastest growing agricultural sector to 2030, with total growth of 33.1 per cent from 2017/18 to 2029/30. In the last five years alone, the average compound annual growth of horticulture in value terms has been 5.7 per cent, or a total of 32 per cent.
To continue to achieve this considerable growth AUSVEG recognises the industry needs quality people.