Worker Requirements Webinar

Labour shortages in the agrifood sector were highlighted when Covid-19 closed borders, but the underlying shortages go back further. For example, the conversion of sheep, beef, and arable farms to dairying in Southland and Canterbury created a demand for staff that exceeded regional workforce availability, requiring people from other regions and overseas. Any proposed land-use change should consider the capacity of the available workforce.

Funded by Our Land and Water through the Workforce Implications of Land-Use Change project, with partners NZIER, MPI, and Northland Inc (the regional economic development agency for Northland), Scarlatti investigated how regional workforce capacity affects the suitability of different land-use types, and strategies and interventions that could mitigate workforce constraints, such as counter-seasonal production.

The resulting Worker Requirements by Land Use dashboard is designed to be a tool for land owners, stewards, managers, catchment groups, hapū, and rural professionals to estimate the number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) needed for different land-use scenarios, as well as how this workforce requirement varies seasonally. Additionally, the dashboard can suggest land uses which complement a selected land use(s) to smooth out seasonal variance in workforce requirements. View this webinar for a practical demonstration of the tool and discussion from an end-user perspective.