Achieving Secure and Stable Migrant Employment: A Study of Agriculture, Manufacturing and Food Processing in Regional Queensland

Regional Australia is a major driver of Australia’s economy and migrants are key contributors to regional Australia’s workforce, especially in the agriculture, manufacturing and food/meat processing industries. Researchers argue that there is a critical knowledge gap when it comes to the contribution of migrant workers in Australian agriculture industries (Collins, Krivokapic-Skoko, & Monani, 2016). This research focuses on the employment of overseas migrants in regional agriculture, manufacturing and food/meat processing industries. There is overwhelming evidence that a large proportion of migrants settle in capital cities of the eastern seaboard of Australia (CEDA, 2016; Collins et al., 2016; RAI, 2015b). However, there are persistent skill shortages in regional Australia despite the fact that over the past decade the Australian government has encouraged migrants to settle and work in rural and regional Australia (Cameron, Dwyer, Richardson, Ahmed, & Sukumaran, 2012; Collins et al., 2016; Wickramaarachchi & Butt, 2012). While Queensland is Australia’s leading producer and exporter of beef, the agriculture and manufacturing industries also contribute significantly to the State’s economy. Additionally, Howe, Reilly, van den Broek and Wright (2015) argue that horticulture is of critical importance for Australia’s food security and economic development. Collectively, “regional Australia dominates employment in primary production and manufacturing” (RAI, 2015b). However, there is limited research on employment and settlement of migrants in the agricultural, manufacturing and food/meat processing industries in regional Australia. This research on the agricultural, manufacturing and food processing industries in Central Queensland is aimed at: 1. Identifying obstacles to the employment of both skilled and unskilled migrants; 2. Examining the potential socio-economic and other benefits of employing migrants; 3. Making observations on the policy implications of the research findings.