With data collected from 408 farms between July and September of 2021, the survey reports that 43% of these farms required some form of seasonal labour.
The figures also show that, out of this number, 44% reported a shortfall in access to seasonal labour. This news follows an October announcement from the UK Government that farmworkers would not be added to the Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) shortage occupation list, and therefore farmers would be unable to avail of the overseas Seasonal Workers scheme.
Below are some of the findings from the Labour in Horticulture Survey 2021 Quarter 3 for England:
Key messages for quarter 3 of 2021
- Approximately 43% of survey respondents needed seasonal labour.
- Average shortfall was 10% for survey respondents who needed seasonal labour.
- Average shortfall ranged from 39 person days in July to 61 in September for survey respondents who needed seasonal labour.
Detailed results
England, Quarter 3 (July to September)
The survey response rate for the third quarter was 15%, which was lower than expected but in line with previous years. Therefore, results should be treated with caution.
In the third quarter of 2021, out of the 408 farms with horticulture who responded, 232 had no need for seasonal labour (57%). Of the 176 survey respondents who did need labour, 44% reported a shortfall (see Figure 1). The average shortfall for the entire quarter per farm with horticulture who needed seasonal labour was 144 person days. This equates to a 10% shortfall.
The average need for labour increased throughout the third quarter from 446 person days in July to 503 person days in September. The average shortfall also increased throughout the quarter from 39 person days in July to 61 in September (see Table 1).
Average quarterly and monthly need, use and shortfall per farm with horticulture for survey respondents with a need for seasonal labour: July to September 2021
| Person days needed | Person days used | Shortfall (Person days) | Shortfall (%) | Shortfall (People per day) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarter 3 (n = 176) | 1,415 | 1,272 | 144 | 10 | 1.6 |
| July | 446 | 407 | 39 | 9 | 1.3 |
| August | 466 | 422 | 44 | 9 | 1.5 |
| September | 503 | 443 | 61 | 12 | 2.0 |
Notes
- Figures relate to average per farm with horticulture.
- Shortfall (People per day) is based on a 30 day month and 90 day quarter.
- The response rate for 2021 Quarter 3 was 15%. This was lower than expected, therefore results for this quarter should be treated with caution.
n: the number of survey respondents who needed seasonal labour within the quarter.
Average person days needed and used per farm with horticulture from January 2019 to September 2021 for survey respondents who needed seasonal labour
Note: In 2020 the survey did not run due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as a result no data is available. Additional information can be found in the methodology notes.
The above graph shows that there was a sudden increase in the need for seasonal labour from June to July 2021, whereas in 2019 the average need for labour remained steady into quarter 3.
The average person days needed and used by respondents in quarter 3 of 2021 was lower than the same quarter in 2019, but the percentage shortfall for the quarter increased from 6% in 2019 to 10% in 2021.
Table 2 shows the quarter 3 figures for 2018 to 2021 for comparison. The full monthly and quarterly results can be found in the accompanying dataset.
