Agriculture Victoria is encouraging farmers across the state to add the Jobs Victoria online hub to their recruitment toolkit, and find local workers as this season's harvest continues.
With the Victorian Government's new Seasonal Harvest Sign-on Bonus generating interest in seasonal work among job seekers, now is a great time to get jobs posted.
The sign-on bonus offers workers $2,430 for eight weeks' work, if they've taken up a harvest job since 17 February 2021.
Businesses across a range of sectors have used Jobs Victoria (formerly known as Working for Victoria) to fill their seasonal workforce needs, from berry farms and dairy operations and to large-scale enterprises.
The owners of a North East berry farm found six workers through Jobs Victoria, while larger corporate farms have added the Jobs Victoria tool to their traditional recruitment methods to help them find and shortlist candidates to fill urgent picking and packing vacancies.
The free online jobs hub allows employers to post job ads and screen candidates. Employers are then matched with jobseekers who have identified that they have the right skills and abilities.
The Jobs Victoria platform has a screening section with up to 15 questions asked of jobseekers, to ensure candidates understand the specific nature of the job and the work involved.
Jobs Victoria has tools and support services available to help farmers find the right workers quickly, and to avoid the turnover of employees who can be unaware of the nature of farm work.
'Recruiting is a specialist task, but including some key details in job ads can make all the difference in finding the right worker for the job,' said Jobs Victoria CEO Lisa Buckingham.
'It's important the job ad informs jobseekers about the realities of the work – the location, days and hours of work, transport requirements and the working environment.
'Getting this right from the start will help employers attract suitable jobseekers - those who understand what's required and are committed to the job.'
Jobs Victoria can assist farmers to register and use the platform, as well as providing advice on how to craft effective job ads and streamline the recruitment processes.
For those businesses looking to employ six or more workers, Jobs Victoria can assist with posting and managing jobs on the platform, provide a list of candidates, review candidate resumes and even conduct phone screening.
Jobs Victoria is one of a number of ways the Victorian Government is working to support farmers with their seasonal workforce needs.
As part of the government's $57 million comprehensive support package, Agriculture Victoria's Seasonal Workforce Coordinators are working with businesses in all the major horticulture regions, linking farmers, industry groups, employers, labour hire agencies and local government to help find local solutions to workforce shortages.
The $6 million Seasonal Workforce Accommodation Program is also helping to remove barriers to work, providing grants for regionally based, industry-led projects that provide additional accommodation, transport and support services for seasonal workers.
