Feds farm employee remuneration report

While the international recession has impacted growth of agricultural wages and salaries, the 2010 Federated Farmers/Rabobank Farm Employee Remuneration Report shows farm workers are still considerably better off than their urban counterparts. Agricultural wages and salaries seem to reflect the roller coaster year that employers have faced," says Don Nicolson, President of Federated Farmers. "Working on a farm remains a top-paying choice in what is truly, the world's biggest industry.  I'd seriously encourage anyone looking for a personally and professionally fulfilling career to go farming. "At $48,388 per annum, the total package value (TPV) for the average farm worker was $5,227 more than the average personal (mean) annual wage and salary income.  Clearly you're much better off on-farm than in a factory.  More so as managerial positions paying north of $80,000 are available. "Agricultural wages and salaries have kept touch with the prevailing rate of inflation, which has been 2 percent over the period we measure.  But that said, the TPV did increase at twice that rate.  I still feel that our workers have tightened their belts every bit as much as we have as employers. REPORT HIGHLIGHTS Average wages and salaries increased highest in the arable sector (up 8.1 percent), followed by sheep and beef (up 4.4 percent) and dairy (up 2.1 percent) Farm workers earned an average salary of $43,294 (up 3.3 percent in the year to October 2009). However, the average total package value (TPV) for farm workers (with salary and other benefits) was $48,388 (up 4.4 percent in the year to October 2009) This compares with the average personal (mean) annual wage and salary income, as recorded by the Statistics NZ Household Economic Survey (Income), being $43,161 The TPV for the most senior positions averaged $80,265 (dairy), $72,099 (arable) and $63,613 (sheep/beef) and Casual skilled employees earned, on average, $19.80 per hour (down 1 percent) while unskilled casual staff earned $16.96 per hour (down 5 percent). Casual rates remain highest in the North Island.