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Labour and skills shortages in the agro-food sector

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  • Michael Ryan

Abstract

Labour and skills shortages are a major concern in the agro-food sector across OECD countries. This challenge is compounded by the relatively small, and declining, contribution of agriculture to GDP, and the negative public perception of the sector with relatively low wages and limited career prospects. This paper reviews policies that have the potential to address labour and skills shortages in the agro-food sector including labour market, education and training, social protection policies, immigration, as well as agricultural specific policies. Many of the policy levers used to address the agro-food labour challenge lie outside the sector and involve finding the right policy mix that tends to be country specific. Furthermore, some issues can be addressed by closer public and private collaboration such as improving working conditions, increasing investment in agricultural education and training of young entrants to the sector. Greater attention also needs to be given to improving the image of agriculture as a career choice, promoting a more diverse workforce, improving the alignment of skills to the needs of the sector, promoting continuous learning, and strengthening national advisory services.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Ryan, 2023. "Labour and skills shortages in the agro-food sector," OECD Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Papers 189, OECD Publishing.
    • Handle: RePEc:oec:agraaa:189-en
    DOI: 10.1787/ed758aab-en
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    Cited by:

    1. Molly O’Dea & Amy Cosby & Jaime Manning & Nicole McDonald & Bobby Harreveld, 2024. "Exploring the Ecological Structure of Agricultural Industry School Partnership Systems in the Gippsland Region, Australia," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-19, September.
    2. Zhaoyang Liu & Samuel Esteban Rodríguez, 2024. "Research on the Interaction Mechanism between Land System Reform and Rural Population Flow: Europe (Taking Spain as an Example) and China," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-19, July.
    3. Meemken, Eva-Marie & Aremu, Olayinka & Fabry, Anna & Heepen, Celestina & Illien, Patrick & Kammer, Marie & Laitha, Andrew, 2024. "Policy for decent work in agriculture," IAAE 2024 Conference, August 2-7, 2024, New Delhi, India 344353, International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Agricultural policy; Agriculture;

    JEL classification:

    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • Q10 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - General
    • Q18 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Policy; Food Policy; Animal Welfare Policy

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