Skills Profile and Labour Supply Structures on Cotton Farms

Abstract

The project titled 'Skills Profile and Labour Supply Structures on Cotton Farms' was funded by the CRDC and covered the period from March 2015 to August 2018. The main aim was to determine current and future labour needs on cotton farms and assess these against supply of labour to farms, identify gaps in meeting needs and recommend strategies to address the gaps. As part of achieving this broad aim, position descriptions were developed for recruiting employees on cotton farms. Furthermore, strategies used by farmers to retain core employees were assessed against industry trends to identify areas for improvement. The project enabled assessment of the extent to which current and future sources of labour would help the industry meet its goal of building a capable and connected workforce with the knowledge and skills to drive the industry and handle emerging challenges. A qualitative research approach was used involving face-to-face and telephone interviews with various stakeholder groups associated with the research objectives. They comprised experts in cotton and associated industries, farmers, contractors, and labour supply firms. The interviews were transcribed with permission from interviewees and analysed for key themes. In total 11 experts, 32 farmers, 23 Contractors, and 10 labour supply firms were interviewed. Three main positions were identified on cotton farms - farm hand, lead hand (or supervisor) and farm managers. Position descriptions were prepared for each and recruitment sources and selection processes identified, also for each position. Training was generally on-the-job and retention efforts involved providing incentives such as accommodation, vehicles, mobile phones and sometimes paying school fees of employees' children.