March unemployment figures showed Mackay at a the very low figure of 2.5%, and well below the Queensland figure of 3.8%. It’s a number that is holding steady.
We stand about six weeks from the start of the crush. For the sugar industry, with its seasonal harvest employment, meeting harvest labour needs is once again an issue.
Every year, CANEGROWERS Mackay runs a campaign to drum up awareness of jobs and training opportunities in sugarcane, and support grower-members to obtain the staff they need, including running Haulout Operator courses to introduce new workers to the industry to the skills and safety considerations they will take to the paddock. Applications close today, so call 4944 2600 to see if any spots are available.
Typically, people who do the course are scooped up, because growers know they have had a good basic training delivered by highly experienced and qualified grower-trainers, and backed-up by a Registered Training Organisation, Axiom College.
It has been good to see the return of backpackers as the world emerges from the covid years, and we have been marketing job and lifestyle opportunities to that group, as well as the growing contingent of younger retirees looking to supplement their income and enjoy the warmer winters and great environment and lifestyle that the Mackay-Whitsunday region offers.
Travelling workers are one option, and we are seeing strong interest from those groups already, but we would like to encourage people who live locally to also consider the crush.
Most haulout driver jobs need only a C-Class licence for the more common tractor-trailer combinations. A HR licence is required for truck operations. Obviously, some experience with farm machinery or trucks would be an advantage, but it isn’t essential. Harvest contractors will train people up. A big up-side is a job that gets you outdoors in a rural setting. The work can give the family income a boost for part of the year, delivering a seasonal balance to work and family life.
If working the cane harvest sounds good to you, then you can either post your own work wanted job on our jobs board or apply for one of the many jobs posted there by CANEGROWERS Mackay members. Positions available right now include four on-four off or three on-five off rosters, there are growers seeking people for weekend work only. Check it out- there may be something there for you! Go to www.mackaycanegrowers.com.au/farmers-notice-board for the web version, replicated on a hard copy board in the foyer of our Mackay office.
There are jobs this crush right across the supply chain. Photo credit: Kirili Lamb
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