New Salary And Benefits Trends In Agriculture

There are a lot of headlines these days about firms prepared to pay exorbitant amounts of money to attract and hire staff. Many of us may dismiss those headlines as simply being relevant to the service business. However, there is abundant evidence that the current developments are hurting the Agriculture industry's C-Suite and professional employment market.

Continue reading to discover more about the challenges and opportunities that this presents in today's market when it comes to recruiting and employing the best personnel.

Why Should Agricultural Employers Be Concerned?

True, many of the job market headlines address non-skilled labor, rather than the executive or professional level individuals you may be looking for. However, changes in one sector are reverberating through even markets that don't intersect with non-skilled labor.

There are certain common elements determining how much people are searching for in their new jobs, such as the growth in inflation. However, two things are combining to give Agriculture's employers a headache: a steadily decreasing talent pool and the ways the epidemic has transformed and is continuing to change the hiring market.

The Talent Pool In Agriculture Is Diminishing

Agriculture is a specialized industry. This is especially true for businesses looking for executives and professionals. Many businesses are looking for people who have worked in the industry or have a book of business running a firm in a highly weather-dependent and seasonal industry. The problem is that the pool of experienced talent is shrinking by the day.

Why is the agricultural skill pool so much smaller than it was years ago?

The simplest straightforward explanation is supply and demand.

Over the last two to five years, an increasing number of people who had considered retiring have ultimately done so, many of them well ahead of their regular retirement age. There are a variety of causes for this transition, but the two most common reasons for viable talent retiring early were either market disruption due to COVID or improved market conditions for retirement portfolios.

A Historical Turn Away From Agriculture

Agriculture was mostly a consolidation industry 20-30 years ago. There were fewer options, and commodities prices were at a minimum. Ag wasn't the place to be for many workers. Many workers left agriculture to seek other careers or did not pursue agriculture at all after graduating from high school.

This is the age group that should be filling many of the posts that are being left vacant by retirements. However, based on demographics, there are two people retiring for every one person who is available and experienced to take their place in our profession.

This pattern, however, does not appear to be changing. A large land grant university in the Midwest recently examined its agricultural department enrolment and discovered that it had decreased by around 30% since 2005. Worse, prominent institutions estimate student enrolment to plummet again by 2025, owing to historically low birth rates.

Recruiting Talent After COVID

Changes in non-skilled industries are resonating through the Agriculture executive and C-Suite employment markets. Today's best candidates are asking more of their employers, fueled by their newfound authority to negotiate for higher benefits and workplace flexibility.

Working from home is a fantastic example of how things have changed.

It is true that many jobs are just not suitable for full-time remote work. However, the pandemic has taught us that many things we never imagined could be completed remotely, and for certain workers, even better than in an office. Many candidates are searching for additional flexibility with remote choices or a "hybrid" approach of working from home and at the office as a result of this.

Many employers are failing to keep up with the times at their peril. They're either not delivering what candidates want, or they're refusing to provide it because they're unwilling or unable to provide more flexibility or better perks.

What Does This Imply for Recruiting?

Many of the contenders for your positions aren't even aware that they're candidates.

They aren't likely searching for a change, thus they haven't actively begun looking for work. You'll need a professional recruiter that knows where to look for them, how to sell them in your organization, and how to hire them. (The greatest of these businesses are doing everything possible to keep their top employees.)

You must be willing to pitch yourself as a potential client.

You must be willing to pitch yourself as a potential client. Employers face fierce competition in the agricultural job market. As a result, interviews are used more for recruiting than for screening. The most successful businesses are able to persuade potential employees why they should work for them.

Expect your capacity to negotiate salary with the ideal applicant to be limited once you've connected with them.

Consider your capacity to negotiate salary with the ideal applicant to be limited once you've connected with them. There's a chance that four more corporations will be knocking on their door. While money isn't always the driving force, it is frequently the determining factor when comparing identical prospects. Don't try to cut corners on what you'll compensate someone who has a track record of accomplishment.

Salaries are expected to rise more.

Salaries will continue to rise due to the demand for experienced expertise in these positions and the fact that there are fewer and fewer people with that agricultural-specific skill set available.

What Are The Strategies Used By The Most Successful Employers?

Many businesses are limiting their possibilities by failing to take into account a range of things that have changed in the work market today.

If you're adamant about the wage you'll offer for a job, keep in mind that you'll almost certainly decrease your chances of finding the ideal individual for the job. But that doesn't rule out the possibility of providing something else that today's applicants are looking for. There are numerous other benefits that can assist offset some of the genuine wage component, but you must be willing to go outside the box when hiring today and in the future.

As a result, even in this extremely difficult labor market, many agricultural companies are nevertheless able to discover and hire excellent employees. What are they doing to make it happen?

The second stage in attracting and hiring the top employees is to provide more of what they desire. The first step is to team up with a top-notch hiring firm. We have the ability to give the highest quality candidates in a timely manner. You'll spend less time reviewing our candidates' qualifications, allowing you to focus your negotiations on making the best offer possible.