Federated Farmers: Farm wages on the rise

Farm employees' pay is increasing according to a survey.

The average total package value for a dairy farm assistant for 2014/2015 is $42,774, which is $2349 up on last year. Farm employees' pay is increasing, with grains workers almost 10 per cent better off.

These results are from the Federated Farmers-Rabobank annual Remuneration Survey which was released in April.

The report is keenly anticipated by farm employers, with many looking for guidance as they look to employ staff for the new season, or to review the performances and pay of their current staff.

Overall, survey respondents were generally paying their staff more than in 2013/2014, with an average 4.8 per cent increase across dairy, 2.08 per cent increase for sheep and beef and the large 9.8 per cent for grains, albeit on a relatively small number of respondents.

These averages included larger increases for lower level staff, with the increases tailing off for the higher positions.

The average total package value for a dairy farm assistant for 2014/2015 is $42,774, which is $2349 up on last year. In sheep and beef, the largest increase was reported for shepherds, with an increase of $1675 to $48,344.

The report notes a significant decrease in the average weekly hours worked by dairy staff after an alteration to the way the questions is asked.

In previous years, the survey had asked respondents for an average across the entire year, where in the 2014/2015 survey farmers were asked to disclose separate average weekly hours for each of the four seasons.

This has led to what Federated Farmers believes is a more accurate representation of the average hours worked per week by farm staff, particularly those in the dairy industry, which can have significant seasonal variation.

The survey doesn't only collect data on remuneration, it also collects information from respondents about aspects of compliance with minimum standards of labour to see increases in reported compliance.

Recording hours of work can be difficult for farm employers who pay a salary, but it is a legal requirement to have time and wage records.

In dairy, 74 per cent of employees now have some sort of time record compared to just 58 per cent in the 2013/2014.

There are regional variations and not all positions have reported salary or total package value increases.

For more information or to get a copy of the 2014/2015 summary report, call 0800 327 646 or go to www.fedfarm.org.nz.

 The survey was sent to Federated Farmers members and was open for submission between November 21, 2014 and January 27, 2015.