We’ve all seen it; fast-food wages have increased. But it’s no secret, wages are rising across all industries, including the agriculture industry. Overall, the AgHires’ recruiting team has seen an average of 15% to 20% increase in wages since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, a few years ago, the average wage for an operator or tech was about $20 to $22 an hour, but that has increased to about $25 to $28 an hour in recent years. We’ve also seen increases in management roles.

If you haven’t had to hire in a few years, a lot has changed. Not only have wages increased across the board, but the labor market is much tighter than it was pre-pandemic. A tight labor market is not new to ag, but it has become a lot tighter. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are more job openings than workers available. It’s an extremely competitive market, and farms need to be more strategic and deliberate to attract quality candidates.

Hiring in the tight labor market

With salary increases and a highly competitive labor market, it’s tough to find that perfect candidate. With the market changes, you’re going to need a different strategy than you’ve used in the past.

Think outside the farm box

Keep it local. More recently, job seekers are hesitant to relocate for a new job. While more candidates want to stay closer to their families, others have concerns over the housing market and a looming recession. Find local job seekers with relatable skills who can translate into impactful workers on the farm. Don’t just seek a candidate with a strong agriculture background. Instead, look for transferable skills and be open to backgrounds outside of ag, such as construction and military.

Remember, it’s not always what is on the resume that is important. Yes, you want your employees to have the skills and know-how to do a job, but you also want a candidate that fits your company’s culture. A resume doesn’t show their work ethic, ability to learn quickly or if their personality will mesh with your team. Finding the right people with the right attitude can make all the difference in your hiring strategy. In ag, we want candidates who have a strong work ethic, are passionate about their work, and have the enthusiasm and problem-solving required to do the job. Ag isn’t the only industry that attracts those candidates.

Train the right person

Don’t be afraid to spend extra time training new employees, whether they’re from outside the industry or still junior. Ensuring your training is efficient and effective will allow you to bring new hires up to speed quickly and keep your farm competitive.

Look within your current team and promote from within. You might already have the right person for the job with some extra training. Training is just sharing knowledge and teaching employees to perform their best. It may seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be complicated.

Showcase the benefits

Showcase what your farm can offer. Agriculture is unique in that we can offer perks like beef, gas cards, use of work vehicles or housing. Candidates are also looking for the full benefits package. To stay competitive with other industries, it’s worth investing in your employees by offering health, vision, dental and disability insurance, retirement plans and paid time off.

Agriculture is still attractive to those outside the industry. People want to be able to see the fruits of their labor, and agriculture can still offer them the family feel work culture candidates seek. We can also provide long-term job stability.

Keep your current employees happy

Salary budgets are projected to grow about 4% in 2023, less than half of the cost-of-living rate of 8.5%, according to a recent assessment. With wages increasing, it can be tough on your budget to bring a new hire at the new market rate while keeping your current team satisfied. We hear you. It’s one of the biggest challenges companies are facing in this current labor climate. You want to keep your current team, but technically they are under market value, and they likely know it.

To combat losing your current employees, bring them up to market value. There are a couple of things you can do. Make incremental adjustments across your team to work toward getting them to market value. Or, if you can’t adjust everyone together, at a minimum, ensure your top performers are adjusted to their market value. You should also keep up with cost-of-living increases for your whole team.

It will take a change in hiring strategy and budget to attract candidates to your farm. While wage increases and a tight competitive market are making hiring in agriculture tough, there are ways to work through the obstacles and find quality employees to fill your team.

AgHires is an industry-leading ag recruitment agency and job advertising company.