Annual Data Report

State of Farm Work Australia 2026

A data snapshot of Australia's agricultural workforce, wages, visa programs, and industry economics. Every stat below is sourced from official government and industry data.

Updated April 2026  ·  Refreshed annually

Key Statistics at a Glance

258,900
People employed in agriculture
ABS, May 2025
~215,000
Working Holiday Visa holders in Australia
Up 21.5% YoY
78%
Backpacker farm workers paid below minimum
Migrant Workers Centre
$101.4B
Farm-gate production forecast
ABARES, 2025–26
31,970
Pacific Island workers under PALM scheme
January 2026
33%
Of seasonal farm workforce are backpackers
NFF survey
Section 1

Agricultural Employment

Australia's agricultural workforce has seen significant shifts, with employment down roughly 11% year-on-year while full-time share remains high.

258,900
Total agricultural employment (May 2025)
277,000
4-year average (to Aug 2024)
75.9%
Full-time share of ag workforce
Year-on-year change: Down ~11% — reflecting ongoing labour shortages and seasonal workforce volatility.
State / TerritoryEmployment (March 2025)
Victoria106,000
New South Wales102,600
Queensland101,900
Tasmania30,300
Northern Territory5,100
ACT700
Section 2

Working Holiday Visa & Immigration

Backpackers on Working Holiday Visas make up roughly a third of the seasonal farm workforce. WHV numbers grew significantly in the past year.

~215,000
WHV holders in Australia (year to May 2025)
170,437
WHV holders (30 Jun 2024)
234,556
WHM visas granted (2023–24)
+21.5%
Year-on-year WHV growth

Subclass 417 — Working Holiday

  1. United Kingdom
  2. France
  3. Ireland
  4. Japan
  5. South Korea

Subclass 462 — Work and Holiday

  1. USA
  2. Indonesia
  3. Spain
  4. Argentina
  5. Thailand
88-Day Qualifying Work: 45.4% of 417 visa holders and 56.4% of 462 visa holders named agriculture as their qualifying work.
Section 3

Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM)

The PALM scheme brings workers from nine Pacific Island nations and Timor-Leste to fill agricultural and other low-skilled roles.

31,970
Total PALM participants (Jan 2026)
15,225
Short-term workers (up to 6 months)
16,740
Long-term workers (up to 3.5 years)
~80%
Male participants
422
Approved direct employers
111
Approved labour hire companies
~50%
Share entering agriculture
Top Source CountryPALM Participants
Vanuatu6,835
Solomon Islands5,245
Fiji4,950
Section 4

Pay & Wages

Award minimum rates set the wage floor, but enforcement gaps mean widespread underpayment in the backpacker workforce.

Award Minimum Rates (2025–26)

Award Classification Hourly Rate Casual Rate
HorticultureLevel 1 (picker/packer)$24.28/hr$30.35/hr
PastoralLevel 1 (farm hand)$24.10/hr$30.13/hr
PastoralLevel 2 (experienced)$24.73/hr$30.91/hr
PastoralLevel 3 (trade qualified)$25.68/hr$32.10/hr
PastoralLevel 4 (supervisor)$27.14/hr$33.93/hr
Piece Rate Requirement: Minimum 15% above hourly rate; daily minimum wage floor applies.

Underpayment Data

78%
Backpacker farm workers paid below award
61%
Farm workers earning less than legal hourly rate
2%
Workers earning official casual rate
~$99k
Maximum penalty per offence
Warning: Only 2% of workers earn the official casual rate. If you're offered a job below the award rate, report it to the Fair Work Ombudsman.

Highest-Paying Roles

RoleLocationPay
Farm managersMackay, QLD~$130,000/yr
Farm managersBallarat/Gippsland, VIC~$90,000/yr
Experienced cherry pickers—~$45/hr equivalent
Machinery/tractor operators—$30–$38/hr
Section 5

Industry Economics

Australian agriculture continues to grow in value, with record forecasts for both production and exports. Labour shortages remain a key constraint.

$101.4B
Farm-gate production forecast (2025–26)
$85B
Agricultural exports forecast (2025–26)
$18.0B
Horticulture production value (2023–24)
~$150M
Estimated cost of labour shortages per year
~20%
On-farm food waste by volume
4%
Farms blaming labour for waste (down from 16% in 2021–22)

Key Crop Values (2023–24)

CropValue
Wine grapes~$1.0 billion
Almonds$870 million
Table grapes$752 million
Bananas$698 million
Apples$680 million
Citrus (export value)~$457 million
For Media & Press

Using this data in your story?

Farm Work Australia is happy to provide comment, additional data, or expert commentary to journalists, researchers and industry writers covering Australian agriculture, seasonal workers, and Working Holiday Visa trends.

Media Contact

help@farmworkaustralia.com.au

We aim to respond to all media enquiries within one business day (AEST).

Available for Comment On

  • Farm workforce and labour shortages
  • Working Holiday Visa trends
  • Backpacker wages and underpayment
  • PALM scheme and Pacific workers
  • Seasonal harvest and picking jobs
Free to cite. All data on this page may be used in articles, reports and research with credit to Farm Work Australia and a link back to farmworkaustralia.com.au/state-of-farm-work-australia/

Methodology & Sources

This report compiles publicly available data from Australian government agencies and industry bodies. Figures reflect the most recent official releases available at time of publication. Where data is estimated or approximated, it is noted with a tilde (~).

Last updated: April 2026  ·  Refreshed quarterly

Data Sources

ABS ABARES DAFF Home Affairs Fair Work Ombudsman PALM Scheme NFF Migrant Workers Centre

References

  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics — Labour Force, Australia, Detailed (industry of employment). abs.gov.au
  2. ABARES — Agricultural Commodities and Trade data. agriculture.gov.au/abares
  3. Department of Home Affairs — Working Holiday Maker program statistics. immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
  4. PALM Scheme — Program data and participant numbers. palmscheme.gov.au
  5. Fair Work Ombudsman — Horticulture & Pastoral Awards (2025–26 rates). fairwork.gov.au
  6. Migrant Workers Centre — Lifting the Harvest report on agricultural worker wages and conditions. migrantworkers.org.au
  7. National Farmers' Federation (NFF) — Workforce surveys and industry data. nff.org.au
  8. ABARES — Horticulture production value and crop statistics. agriculture.gov.au/abares