Agriculture, forestry and fishing skills and workforce snapshot
Workforce overview
Victoria’s fifteenth largest employing industry:
- 72,000 people employed
- 1.9% of the Victorian workforce.
Top employing jobs in the industry:
- Livestock farmers
- Crop farmers.
Workforce profile
- Predominantly male workforce, with over half the workforce holding a post-school qualification
- Higher proportion of the workforce is aged 50+ (49% compared to 29% statewide)
- More workers have a VET qualification (34% compared to 30% statewide).
Projections
Victoria’s fourteenth highest growing industry:
- 5,400 new workers expected by 2028
- 20,200 new workers are expected by 2035
- Close to 90 per cent of the people employed in the industry work in the agriculture industry sub-sector.
Top growing jobs in the industry are:
- Livestock farmers, +3,300 new workers by 2028
- Mixed crop and livestock farmers, +2,500 new workers by 2028.
Regional outlook
Regions expecting the highest share of new workers:
- Melbourne: Northern metropolitan Melbourne
- Regional: Mallee and Great South Coast.
Skills demand
Top growing jobs in the industry range in skill level requirements:
- Higher skilled jobs in the industry are correlated with higher retention rates.
Most in-demand industry specific skills:
- Inventory and warehousing
- Heavy equipment operation.
Skills supply
Popular vocational education and training courses:
- Certificate II in Agriculture
- Certificate III in Agriculture.
Popular university study areas:
- Business management
- Food science and biotechnology.
Updated