Fruit and Vegetable Industry Session N°9

Labor shortages in the F&V industry present significant challenges to production, supply chains, and market stability. Addressing this issue requires a multi-faceted approach, including policy reforms, improved labour conditions, technological advancements, and workforce training initiatives.

In priority they should aim to improve the image of agriculture as a sector capable of offering career opportunities, as the role of agriculture is evolving with increasing attention to food security, environmental goods, biodiversity, and social aspects. They also need to promote a more diverse agro-food workforce with a wider range of skills and to ensure a better alignment of education and skills to the evolving needs of the agro-food sector, which is critical for the sector to be sustainable and competitive, including entrepreneurial and digital skills.

By implementing these strategies, the industry can enhance resilience, ensuring a stable and sustainable food supply for the future. Where job quality is low, improved wage and non-wage benefits, as well as enhanced working conditions, are important. In the pandemic’s aftermath, so is geographical and temporal flexibility, where feasible. Where skill shortages are widespread, active collaboration between employers and education and training providers as well as employment services must be enhanced to match skills supply and demand through initial and ongoing training.

The European labour authority (ELA) is conducting a strategic foresight exercise to explore and construct potential scenarios for the future of labour mobility within the European Union.