Last updated: 21 March 2024

Fruit Labour Market Dynamics

 Industry dataset (economic indicators and labour market dynamics)  

Source: Linked Employer-Employee Data, Stats NZ¹

Linked Employer-Employee Data (LEED) data is produced by Stats New Zealand quarterly to measure labour market dynamics. There is a lag in data availability of around 14 months due to the time it takes for the data to be completed by employers, to flow through Inland Revenue, and for Stats NZ to undertake relevant transformations and quality checks². Here, we show the most recent data available at the time of publishing.

LEED data is available at the ANZSIC ‘group’ level, which is a broader level of classification than the ANZSIC class codes used for the workforce estimates. The relevant ANZSIC groups here is 013 Fruit and Tree Nut Growing³ which includes 0131 Grape Growing, 0132 Kiwifruit Growing, 0133 Berry Fruit Growing, 0134 Apple and Pear Growing, 0135 Stone Fruit Growing, 0136 Citrus Fruit Growing, 0137 Olive Growing, and 0139 Other Fruit and Tree Nut Growing.  

Median Earnings

Median earnings for the Fruit and Tree Nut Growing industry have been consistently lower than that of all industries and the average of those working in 'agriculture, forestry and fishing' industries.

In the chart, we provide two benchmarks for reference: 'agriculture, forestry and fishing' which covers all industries involved in growing crops, raising animals, growing and harvesting timber, and harvesting fish and other animals from farms or their natural habitats, and a benchmark for 'all industries' which includes every industry group in New Zealand.

Quarterly Turnover Rate

The quarterly worker turnover rate for the Fruit and Tree Nut Growing industry remained consistently higher than all industries and 'Agriculture, forestry and fishing' industries more broadly. There are seasonal cycles in the worker turnover rate, which is usually highest in the March and June quarters and lowest in the December quarter (except for September 2020). As this data is aggregated, it is not possible to look at individual fruit industries. These seasonal cycles of worker turnover would vary industry by industry. Seasonal differences in employee counts are shown on our workforce page.

In the chart, we provide two benchmarks for reference: 'agriculture, forestry and fishing' which covers all industries involved in growing crops, raising animals, growing and harvesting timber, and harvesting fish and other animals from farms or their natural habitats, and a benchmark for 'all industries' which includes every industry group in New Zealand.

Number of Filled Jobs

The number of filled jobs is an indicator of economic activity. Between 2019 and 2021, there was an upward trend in the number of filled jobs in the Fruit and Tree Nut Growing industries. The seasonal peak in jobs for March 2022 was lower than the previous two years and was more similar to 2019 values. There are peaks in the number of filled jobs in the March quarter and troughs in the September quarter, illustrating the seasonal nature of the industry. Seasonal differences in employee counts for individual fruit industries are shown on our workforce page.