The employer challenge of securing qualified staff in agribusiness

1. The employer challenge of securing qualified staff in agribusiness Mark Evans – Outlook 2011

2. Overview • Regional, rural and remote • Agribusiness • Advisors, consultants and agronomists (extension/adoption) • The problem • What’s going to happen • Solutions…??

3. Regional, rural and remote • Law • Engineering • Doctors and medical professionals • Builders • Teachers • It’s not just agriculture

4. Agribusiness – competitors and ally’s • Very diversified market and requirements • Finance/insurance, farm management, sales, advisory, mining, government, R&D, manufacturing, product development/management… • For the limited number of graduates there is wide range of opportunities

5. Advisors, consultants and agronomists

6. Setting the advisory scene • Farmers on average are getting older • Farms on average are bigger and more complex • Advisors private or agri-business and government based on average are getting older • The advisory scene has changed and is not focused at a government level • One on one advice is the domain of commercial consultants either private or from agri-business

7. Finding an advisor • ‘The only place to find an agronomist is at the hospital, in the delivery ward…!!!’ • Chronic shortage of graduates nationally • Presently I could place 20-25 agronomists – this is ongoing • Nationally, across industry, the number is 100+ agronomists needed at any one time • Present level of equilibrium is unsustainable • Advisors etc will burn out as governments pull out of the sector

8. My marketplace… • 230+ Ruralco agronomists and advisors • 98% at least one degree including, MSc, MBA’s, Post doc fellow’s etc • Some consultants working in business • Average age: 35-40+yrs • Many have % of business • Technical and client focused • Rapidly growing market

9. What I’m told about recruiting in Ag • There are plenty of candidates… • You don’t pay enough… • There are no candidates… • There’s more money in mining… • We can’t compete with Government • We can’t compete against private business…

10. What’s it really like trying to recruit in Ag? • Hard, very hard • Finding people for roles is almost impossible • The market is not very ‘liquid’ • It’s a very small gene pool that we’re all fishing in • $’s alone don’t shift people, but it helps

11. How do we really recruit…? • In advisory businesses there are 3 ways to gain employee’s • Train graduates • Wait for opposition to up-set their existing staff so that they leave • Poach opposition staff • All three are providing limited options due to the lack of qualified people

12. These guys are not the problem…!!

13. It’s finding qualified people…!!! • I need qualified people!!! • What is a ‘qualified person’? • Degree or 2…? • Post doctoral fellow…? • A person who has the capacity and capability to do the job…? • Someone that can walk upright and has a heartbeat…???

14. What’s the problem? • We sell agriculture the wrong way, it’s an exciting industry • We expect that people want to move through a hierarchical system and that they are mobile • We expect that qualified people will want to work in agriculture because it is agriculture • Lack of graduates for traditional and future positions – not future proofing the industry through the provision and development of qualified people

15. What’s going to happen? • Potential loss of leaders in agriculture • Increased salaries in ‘bush’ mean fewer will move to city – issue for agribusiness • More competition for a scarce commodity – increased salaries • Increased salaries but still the same level of interest in living remote or regional

16. Solutions…??? • Redevelop school curricula for agriculture as a multidisciplinary based subject • Train and enthuse teachers and schools • Reinforce this within universities • Promote agriculture as cutting edge science, business, environment, finance etc career • Engage students as potential employees and future leaders • Develop qualified people through a process of training and education for the future of agriculture

17. Help…!!!