Recruitment and retention of a rural and regional workforce: a regional development perspective
Article
Lyons, Ben and De Daunton, Fynn. 2022. "Recruitment and retention of a rural and regional workforce: a regional development perspective." Farm Policy Journal. (1092), pp. 58-72.
| Article Title | Recruitment and retention of a rural and regional workforce: a regional development perspective |
|---|---|
| ERA Journal ID | 45081 |
| Article Category | Article |
| Authors | Lyons, Ben and De Daunton, Fynn |
| Journal Title | Farm Policy Journal |
| Journal Citation | (1092), pp. 58-72 |
| Article Number | 5 |
| Number of Pages | 15 |
| Year | 2022 |
| Publisher | Australian Farm Institute |
| Place of Publication | Australia |
| ISSN | 1449-2210 |
| 1449-8812 | |
| Web Address (URL) | https://www.farminstitute.org.au/product/fpj1902-lyons-b-de-daunton-f-2022-recruitment-and-retention-of-a-rural-and-regional-workforce-a-regional-development-perspective/ |
| Abstract | Labour and skill shortages are often detrimental to adaptive capacity, resilience, and competitiveness of regional communities; yet most Australian regions are at full or underemployment. Solutions aimed at tackling agricultural workforce recruitment and retention must consider some key factors, for example: taking a regional or place-based (rather than sector-based) approach to workforce issues; migrant settlement can be easier in the larger regional centres compared to small centres; upskilling and education approaches could tap into the growing family corporate and larger corporate agribusiness sector; digital connectivity can be improved by community-based approaches; agriculture has a hidden but emerging resource in professional females; and Indigenous engagement requires a sensitive, place-based, anchored and empathetic approach. Accountability and ownership for a clear response to the workforce problem remain problematic. There is a clear need to go beyond the National Agriculture Workforce Strategy to examine execution and systemic issues in regional economies, many of which have agriculture as their economic mainstay. |
| Keywords | regional development; policy; education; Employment |
| Article Publishing Charge (APC) Funding | School/Centre |
| Contains Sensitive Content | Does not contain sensitive content |
| ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 300208. Farm management, rural management and agribusiness |
| Public Notes | Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. |
| Byline Affiliations | Rural Economies Centre of Excellence |
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