The reality of a career in dairy farming

Abstract

All industries within New Zealand are experiencing pressure to fmd the quality and quantity of people to do the work. In order for the New Zealand dairy industry to be attractive to people in a tight labour market, there needs to be an alignment between the needs of the farming businesses and the needs ofthe people doing the work The objectives of this report are: 1. To get an indication of the overall jo b satisfaction experienced by dairy farm employees under the age of thirty in their job. 2. To get an indication ofthe degree to which farm jobs are meeting the career objectives of younger people as identified by Barbara Kuriger (2001). 3. To see if dairy farm jo bs are operating on a professional and legal level, through the use of employment contracts and job descriptions. 4. To get an indication of the level of staff management skills of dairy farm employers.