Visa Status
- Workers on visas form an important part (around 20% in total) of the workforce, filling shortages for skilled workers and seasonal demands for many of our industries.
- Over one third of those working in the Fruit industry in 2022 are on non-resident working visas (Work visa, RSE, and Working holiday visa), and nearly one quarter of those working in the Vegetable industry are on ‘Resident visas’.
- The Fruit and Grape and Wine industries are very reliant on Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers (which falls under the ‘Work visa’ category). The RSE scheme allows employers within the horticulture and viticulture industries to recruit a limited number of seasonal workers, predominantly from the Pacific.
- The dashboard may not reflect a full picture of the workforce because seasonal horticulture contractors (including many RSE workers, and temporary workers in the Grapes and Wine, Vegetables, and Fruit industries), who are not employed directly by horticulture businesses, don't show clearly in the data for industry groups. Support Services captures many of these horticultural contractors.