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by Erika Osmundson, Director of Marketing & Communications
I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU, but I’m
tired of the “new normal”! There is very
little normal about what has taken place
due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From
virtual learning and events to face masks
and social distancing, this pandemic has
thrown normal right out the window.
Now, not that it has been all bad. If
we look for the good, we’re bound to
find some. recently held
our Ag & Food HR Roundtable, and yes,
it was virtual this year! Throughout the
sessions, which covered high interest
issues in recruitment and retention
within the industry, presenters shared
many positives. Positives that shed light
on why the agriculture and food industry
is where you want to work, even during
the unprecedented times of a pandemic!
THE COVID IMPACT ON THE
AGRICULTURAL WORKFORCE
There has been and continues to be a
talent gap between the number of jobs
available within the agriculture and
food industry and the number of
students coming out of colleges and
universities that can fill these roles.
Even with increased unemployment, the
agriculture industry still has demand. For
those that have technical skills or trade
experience, the need is even greater.
The pandemic highlighted the
industry’s status of “essential.” We need
few other professions as much as the
one that feeds, clothes and fuels the
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world. In this time of uncertainty, we
found the general public stopping and
noting their food and where/how it is
produced. Clearly, the pandemic shed
light on some supply chain bottlenecks,
but from an opportunistic perspective;
sizable areas for growth and change.
EMPLOYER PREPAREDNESS
Agribusinesses held steady. According
to a recent poll
conducted as the pandemic hit, 94%
of participating agricultural
employers felt the organization had
an above-average plan in place to
deal with COVID-19. Employees that
responded ranked their employers high
in this category as well (73%).
While other industries such as travel/
leisure and retail services were taking
tremendous hits to staff management,
the agribusiness industry weathered
the storm much better. Only 22% of
participating employers in the
above-mentioned poll stated that
they needed to take action to manage
their staff such as furloughs, layoffs, or
reduction in hours.
We also saw recruitment and hiring
maintain balanced levels. Seventy-six
percent of employer respondents to a
May poll said that they planned to
continue with hiring as projected.
Through the network of
clients we saw this trend play out. While
we saw a slight dip of activity on the
job board at the onset of
the pandemic, employers quickly settled
and actioned on plans to move forward.
Realizing that quality talent was available,
and the needs of the organizations and
operations couldn’t wait for the pandemic
to pass.
INTERNSHIPS – WHAT WE LEARNED
While we know there were the
unfortunate few who could not continue
with their internship as planned, many
agricultural employers were able to keep
their programs going. From the poll, 59%
of employers responding could proceed
with their internship programs as planned
this past summer. Another 10% had to
make some alterations, like delaying start
dates or reducing hours.
But one of the biggest changes
was notably that many interns found
their program to be virtual! There were
skeptics all-around—students unsure if a
virtual internship would be
meaningful and employers wondering if
they could trust students to take on the
accountability of a virtual internship.
What did we learn? The worry was
for not. The employers and students that
talked with
disproved the skeptics. Students could
get value out of a virtual internship. Em-
ployers saw student’s step-up to the plate
and prove they were up for the challenge.
We don’t know yet what next summer
will look like, but this summer has
COVID-19
AND THE AGRICULTURAL WORKPLACE