Backpackers flock to the fields as GFC makes hospitality work scarce in the cities

The global financial crisis is forcing backpackers to look for harvest work due to a shortage of hospitality and bar jobs in cities, according to National Harvest Labour Information Service (NHLIS) manager Robert Cameron.  

Cameron told the Weekly Times the NHLIS was receiving more than 1000 phone calls a day from backpackers looking for seasonal work. He said the GFC had reduced spending on discretionary items such as eating out, making hospitality jobs hard to come by and forcing backpackers into the fields.

He added: “That’s usually the domain of people looking for their second working visa, whereas we’re getting a lot of people looking for work because they can’t get anything else in the city and are moving out into the country.”

By Martin Lane  ·  February 17th, 2010 at 12:09 pm

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Comments


  1. Macca
    22 Feb 10
    11:24 pm

    2. The Global Financial crisis has nothing to do with it. The backpacker industry was warned at the 2008 ABIC Sydney conference that backpacker jobs would be lost.

    Robert Cameron from the National Harvest Larbour Information Service tells us that they are receiving a more than 1000 phone calls a day from backpackers looking for harvest work and more backpackers are sitting around in harvest towns/hostels waiting for work.

    This at a time when the NHLIS parent company MADEC has won the contract to bring in Pacific Island harvest workers. At a time when drought, cheap imports and heat has reduced the size of crops. A time, that in many of the traditional harvest area’s they are pulling out grapevines and citrus trees reducing the number of jobs.

    This years harvest has never seen so many illegals been deported that have been employed by “doggie” harvest contractors which has put pressure on hostel members of state backpacker organization that no-one seems to care about but have spent many of thousand of dollars in supporting the industry by supplying up to date services.

    This is a so much an important part of the sector that makes the Australia backpacker industry work for those backpackers now and for the future. A sector that supplies a services to all the major city and resort operators.

    If not urgent action is taken to protect the backpacker harvest worker we could say good bye to a great industry that was started by those not in the corporate world.

    There are backpacker harvest jobs but it needs a national input from the “Grassroot” operators to protect the jobs for backpackers.

  2. Tom Griffiths
    23 Feb 10
    6:54 pm

    3. Well said (the last 3 paras in particular)

    This has far reaching effects. In the UK there is a commonly held belief that you can go to Australia and find work. It’s an incredible safety net that underpins what is the highest spend on one item (a RTW ticket) that most 18-24 years olds have ever done – more than many will spend on their first car. It’s a big spend and a big decision. It shouldn’t be assumed that these people will just keep on coming.

    The romantic vision of working downunder is a serious pull factor for those looking for a credible excuse to leave a relatively secure job or a life within their comfort zone (friends around them, money available for beers/clothes, family close by etc.) for a brief – but in their young eyes a ‘long’ – time well out of their comfort zone.

    Vital that this ‘commonly held belief’ is not lost as it’s something that you’ll only truly value once it’s gone. Just ask New Zealand – they’ve never had it (from the UK) – and would seriously value this unique position.

    It is also possibly your bottom line marketing – the bit that is never paid for but always provides the base numbers from the UK (and the natural viral ability of a discussion in a pub over a beer of a young man/woman proudly announcing that they’re ‘off to Australia to work’). The well trodden route around Australia looking for work also assists the economic dispersal of the backpacker cash.

    Be careful about losing this priceless gift.

  3. Andrew J Smith Australian International Education Centre
    24 Feb 10
    11:54 am

    4. Would be interested to know if lack of hospitality positions in cities is related, have known from students that Sydney hospitality market has been soft for some years, others not sure?

  4. greg cole
    25 Feb 10
    1:12 pm

    5. Tough questions. Although I suspect the paucity of jobs in the cities is just a temporary blip.

    http://www.smh.com.au/business.....-p4od.html

    But with 160,000 working holiday visas being issued; + international students + local students + the local youth seeking jobs we may an oversupply of labour for the service industry jobs. Could this be the new reality? A program that’s a victim of its own success?

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