More young people, women and people from a culturally diverse background are choosing to work in agriculture, according to analysis of the 2021 census.
The snapshot of Australia's agricultural workforce by ABARES shows the changing face of the industry's workforce.
The census, which covers employed people who are 15 years and older whose main job held in the week prior to census night was in agriculture, also shows a slight increase in the number working in the sector.
“Between the 2016 Census and the 2021 Census, we’ve seen more people overall working in agriculture – 239,093, which is an increase of 4.7 per cent,” Jared Greenville from ABARES said.
The number of women in agriculture now make up a third of the workforce, with young people accounting for a quarter, while 13 per cent of ag workers are from a culturally diverse background.
“We’ve seen a slight rise in the proportion of women, young people and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in the agricultural workforce over the same period," Dr Greenvile said.
“Around 1.8 per cent of workers in the agricultural sector were Indigenous, and 1.6 per cent had a disability that meant they required assistance with core activities.
The report found nearly half of all people working in agriculture in 2021 were employed in sheep, beef cattle and grain farming, which is slightly down from 2016.
More than 80 per cent of agriculture workers live in regional areas with almost 70 per cent working full time.
"I’m sure plenty of people in the agricultural sector will be heartened to see more young people getting involved in the industry," Dr Greenville said.
