Industry insights on skills needs
According to job advertisements, the most in-demand VET-related occupations for the Meat industry were Meat, Poultry and Seafood Process Workers and Other Factory Process Workers.
This same job vacancy data indicates that the top generic skills in demand from employers in this industry are work area maintenance, communication skills and detail orientated.
The top priority generic skills for the industry identified in the Meat IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast include:
- Managerial / Leadership
- Entrepreneurial
- Learning agility/ Information literacy / Intellectual autonomy and self-management (adaptability)
- Customer service / Marketing
- Financial
- Technology.
A range of issues relating to industry skills and workforce development were identified in the Meat IRC’s 2020 Skills Forecast, including:
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Extreme weather conditions: Severe drought and unprecedented bushfires have both contributed to widespread stock losses, as has the significant flood events of 2019 in North Queensland. These weather events not only impact the industry in the short term through stock and infrastructure loss, but can have long term consequences on meat processors who may be forced to reduce shifts or close plants, as well as land regeneration which can take many years.
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Smallgoods sector trainer shortages: A reported shortage of people who are trained for smallgoods production will be reviewed by the IRC in 2020, with the IRC seeking additional information to identify the cause of this issue, and potential responses. Currently, there is mixed feedback from the industry with some indicating that many trainers do not possess a strong smallgoods background, while anecdotal evidence from one RTO suggests a relation to the size of the smallgoods qualifications, as opposed to the trainers.
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African Swine Fever: Global outbreaks of African Swine Fever have ongoing implications for the Australian meat industry, including the need to ensure there is Emergency Animal Disease (EAD) awareness and preparedness, and good biosecurity practices.
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Retail ready processing: Different types of skills are increasingly being needed by workers, specifically for preparing cuts, portioning, and packaging products to go directly onto supermarket shelves, as opposed to preparing bulk cuts and packages meats that go to the wholesaler or retailer for further processing.
Additionally, the Meat IRC’s 2021 Skills Forecast also identified the following industry developments:
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The impacts of COVID-19: Meat processing is rated as one of the most exposed industries to the impacts of the pandemic due to its very high labour intensity, operational difficulties associated with social distancing, highly exposed supply chain and few options for employees to work from home. The pandemic exposed some weaknesses that needed to be addressed, but overall showed that biosecurity measures in the Australian meat industry were sufficient in most workplaces. Despite the challenges of operating during COVID-19, domestic meat sales rose by 30% since the first lockdowns came into force. WA's biggest meat processor saw sales increase by up to 50% over normal levels. The continuing high demand for meat is indicative of the importance of the meat processing industry and the necessity for sustainable workplaces and skilled workers.
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The global meat market: The pandemic has caused significant uncertainty in the global beef trade, both in major importing and exporting countries. One of Australia's most important beef markets started testing imported food products for traces of COVID-19 in June 2020. In July, Australian beef exporters were reporting long delays at some ports as a result of the new testing regime.
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Modernising the meat export regulatory system: A recently announced four-year government ‘Busting Congestion for Agricultural Exporters’ package is intended to support the development of a more competitive meat industry by reinforcing Australia’s reputation as a producer of high-quality and safe meat, underpinned by a robust regulatory system. It also has objectives to bolster the meat processing sector’s exports with a package of modernisation proposals. The measures put in place are reputed to be the most comprehensive reforms undertaken since the 2011 Australian Export Meat Inspection System was implemented.
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The National Skills Commission (NSC) and attracting new industry workers: Industry focus is on managing skills surpluses and identifying training options for unemployed workers who have been affected by COVID-19. The meat processing industry may be able to capitalise on the availability of people who have been displaced from their usual work and are seeking new opportunities. As well as highlighting reskilling and upskilling options for improving the prospects of people already performing an industry role, the NSC are promoting ‘skills transferability’ to facilitate clearer pathways between roles in diverse industries that require similar capabilities.
The Meat IRC’s 2020 Skills Forecast also poses questions around the types of training being used by employers. Anecdotally it’s believed that employers are using training other than VET qualifications, units and skill sets, however the challenge is to identify and quantify the extent of this. It’s also believed that much of this unaccredited training is based on the AMP Training Package.
According to State of the Industry Report 2021: The Australian Red Meat and Livestock Industry, in early 2020 widespread rains occurred across southern and eastern Australia, breaking Australia’s worst drought on record. The improved seasonal conditions underpinned high livestock prices and signalled the start of a national herd and flock rebuild. In March 2020 lamb, sheep and cattle prices hit new records as producers sought to restock their properties after years of drought induced destocking. This rise in demand occurred at a time when producers were holding onto more breeding stock to rebuild their inventories, which limited supply and forced prices higher, reducing numbers being processed. This translated into lower beef, mutton and lamb production volumes in 2020.
The report also reveals both the livestock production and meat processing sectors offer most employment opportunities to those with practical and technical skills, rather than higher levels of formal education. The highest level of education achieved by more than 50 per cent of red meat and livestock employees is secondary education, with Indigenous Australians also comprising a higher proportion of the meat processing workforce than for Australian industries in general.
The Australian Red Meat Industry's Carbon Neutral by 2030 Roadmap outlines the Carbon Neutral by 2030 (CN30) initiative launched to capitalise on growing government and community interest in solutions to greenhouse gas‑induced climate change. The four key areas of work are Emissions avoidance, Carbon storage, Integrated management systems, and Leadership building. The technologies in each work area have been selected based on their potential impact and are based on current knowledge and understanding of science, policy and market conditions. The work areas will require annual review as knowledge and priorities evolve, and progress is made towards the CN30 target.
In addition, the Queensland Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning has developed the Queensland Beef Processing Strategy 2019-22 in consultation with major beef processors and representative bodies in order to respond to key industry challenges. The strategy focuses on four key priority areas, including enhancing industry engagement and representation; ensuring efficient movement of livestock and freight through road and rail; building and retaining a skilled workforce; and investing in supply chain and processing efficiency.
In line with some of the previous points, the challenges and opportunities faced by the industry, as identified in the Meat IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast, related to an increased and changing regulatory environment, changing markets, a shift in consumer demand / expectations, increasing competition, biosecurity concerns, impacts of climate variability, attracting and ensuring an appropriately skilled workforce, and animal welfare and traceability. In addition, it was suggested that the key to the industry’s success will be the ability to optimise the systems, technologies and practices within immediate control.
A review of key food industry reports highlights an emerging theme of new technologies and methodologies in the areas of sustainability and traceability. For example, a report prepared by Griffith University for the Australian Meat Processor Corporation investigated the use of blockchain technology to establish product traceability for the Australian red meat industry, an industry which has been impacted by counterfeit products which falsely claim Australia as the country of origin.
However, according to the Roadmap Development for a Meat Processing Intelligent Automation Centre, the meat industry has been relatively slow in comparison to other industries with regards to adopting new smart technologies. Although progress has been made to automate a number of processes in meat processing plants, the main challenges to the adoption of new technologies relate to the inherent biological variations of meat products, the characteristics of the supply chain and the high costs associated with automation.
