We talk a lot in agriculture about the need to bring in the next generation. But attracting young people into the sector is about more than just creating jobs – it’s about creating career pathways where they can see a future.
The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics Labour Force survey shows the ag sector employs about 240,000 people, with a median age of 51. A decade ago, that number was about 280,000 and 20 years ago it was more than 300,000. But it's not only the shrinking workforce that's concerning – dig a little deeper and the structural challenges come into sharper focus. Just one in three agricultural workers are women. Weekly earnings are almost $250 below the national median. And the pipeline of skilled young workers relocating to rural and remote areas remains well short of what's needed to sustain the industry into the future.
That’s not because the work isn’t exciting. We’re in an era of rapid innovation, with roles emerging across agtech, sustainability, and supply chain transparency, just to name a few. But for many young people, the barrier isn’t the job itself – it’s everything around it. Today’s graduates want to build a career, but only if they can also build a life.
For many regional and remote communities, that’s where the struggle begins. While life in regional Australia can be wonderful, affordable housing is limited, childcare options are scarce, and job opportunities for partners can be few and far between. These are the foundations of retaining people in regional areas. Without them, we’re asking people to move their lives to a place in which it is hard to live.
The Regional Australia Institute’s Against the Odds report puts it clearly: we can’t expect regional talent to overcome all these barriers alone. Attracting good people is only the first step. Keeping them, and helping them thrive, requires investment in the ecosystems that support their whole lives, not just their work.
There’s also a gap in what comes next. Once someone is in a regional role, what does progression look like? Too often, moving up means moving out. If we want to keep capability in our rural communities, we need to show people how they can grow their careers where they are. That means clearer succession planning, visible leadership pathways, and more regional access to training and mentoring.
Young professionals don’t look at work as a means to an end. They’re looking for purpose, growth and flexibility. And they want to know they won’t be penalised professionally for choosing to live and build a life in regional Australia.
So where do we go from here? We need a reset in how we think about workforce development: not as a recruitment problem, but as a long-term investment in people and regional Australia. That means:
Embedding workforce planning into business strategy – not just filling gaps as they arise.
Building flexible, visible career pathways that don’t rely on relocation.
Telling a broader story about the depth of opportunity in ag, on and off the farm.
Agriculture is full of opportunity. But if we want to grow the workforce that will take this industry into its next chapter, we need to meet people where they are – and build careers that can grow where they are, as well.
The 2026 Nutrien Ag Solutions Agronomy, Agribusiness and Corporate Graduate Program is now open. It offers candidates the opportunity to build a career in agriculture supported by professional development opportunities, peer and leadership networking and localised benefits and rewards to build a career in rural Australia.
Anita Velican is a Senior Director – Human Resources at Nutrien Ag Solutions Australia