25 March 2008

Farmers could look to Australian immigration to solve worker drought

Farmers in rural Australia are finding it hard to recruit staff despite the farming industry enjoying better times following a drought. Farmers lost thousands of employees during the drought in 2002-03 but are now unable to find enough people to replace them now the problems are easing. An increase in Australian immigration could be a solution to this problem.

The National Farmers Federation (NFF) in Australia has said that the problem of a lack of staff is hurting production in farms as well as cutting the economic growth of Australia. The NFF provides a voice for farmers in the country. Denita Wawn, the NFF's general manager of workplace relations, said: "We are continually losing people to other industries, including mining where they have significantly higher wages." The NFF is also calling for a change in the amount of red tape which is there for people looking to take advantage of Australian immigration.

Australia needs skilled workers: Anyone applying for an Australian visa should begin by completing the Australian Visa Bureau's online Australian visa application to see if they meet the Australian visa requirements.