Utilise Overseas Ag Interns
OPINION: Farmers have been clear: it is getting harder, not easier, to find and keep good people.
They hit the road in late 2018, intending to travel and pick up seasonal work such as fruit picking along the way.
But it wasn’t as easy as they thought, and they came across many others in the same boat, typically ‘grey nomads’ and tourists looking for seasonal work, income and somewhere to park the motorhome.
The Georges came up with a solution: Seasonal Staff NZ (SSNZ), a website-based business that helps would-be workers find jobs and employers to advertise for workers.
SSNZ is a membership-based firm with a database that brings both parties together via an interactive map accessed on the website. Blue pins indicate workers, green pins show where the jobs are.
Workers can look for jobs as they travel. Employers can see where workers are located, and the site’s software enables the employers to sort the workers by experience, skills and attributes, or by potential start dates.
Would-be workers can look for jobs without focussing solely on pay rates, and they can note other possible benefits, eg accommodation available, powered parking for motorhomes or camper vans, kitchen/bathroom facilities and wi-fi connections. This means hourly pay rates are not the ‘main thing’ in employers’ quests for good staff.
Businesses typically know their peak staffing numbers, so they can plan and advertise jobs in advance, showing opportunities by location.
SSNZ’s annual employer membership fee is $199 + GST per year/per location for businesses looking for 1-50 staff. (Other job boards typically offer only 30 days advertising.)
