After little movement in wages in recent years, people working in primary industries have made gains in what they earn, according to the latest Federated Farmers Rabobank remuneration survey.
A just-released report was developed following the survey conducted in late 2017 and early this year. Responses were collected from 940 employers on 13 separate farm positions across the dairy, sheep, beef and arable sectors.
In addition to information on salaries the report also provides data such as weekly hours worked by staff, employee age, length of employment and recruitment ease.
After a couple of years of very little growth in reported salaries, it's good to see some meaningful movement in the face of a tight labour market.
The report shows all surveyed positions in the dairy sector over the past year had pay increases, with the most notable jumps for the mid to highly skilled positions of assistant herd manager (6.6 per cent), herd manager (5.5 per cent) and farm manager (5.5 per cent). There was also a more modest increase for the entry level farm assistant position (2.8 per cent).