‘A mental break’: People swap office jobs to become fruit-pickers

Queensland residents are giving up their comfortable office jobs for fruit-picking jobs on the Darling Downs thanks to a new employment campaign.

Last summer, Joanne Dean swapped her comfortable office job for a plum-picking job in Stanthorpe, choosing the great outdoors over an airconditioned office to give back to the farmers who worked hard to put food on our plates during the pandemic.

“Our farmers need workers to harvest food, so I gave fruit picking a go,” she said.

“It was such a great change of pace and mental break from the city clients and deadlines.”

She has become the face of a Queensland Government campaign aimed at jobseekers still looking for work in what is an increasingly difficult climate.

Under the #pickqld Winter Harvest campaign, Queensland residents who travel to take up harvest work could be eligible for up to $1500 under the Back to Work in Agriculture Incentive Scheme.

Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Minister Mark Furner said the campaign would go a long way in benefiting the state’s farmers, and jobseekers.

“It is well known that working holiday makers are a traditional source of peak demand labour for our winter harvest, but with no backpackers from overseas there are now even jobs for the picking across Queensland,” he said.

“We are supporting our food providers by encouraging people from all walks of life and age groups, who are looking for something different and are in the position to relocate for short-term work, to give a farm job a go.”

Queensland Strawberry Growers Association president Adrian Schultz said his industry, worth $180m, was facing the most challenging growing season in its long history.

“Growers have made a significant investment in buying and planting strawberry runners, and without the right number of workers available to harvest the crop across the winter our farms face serious financial consequences,” he said.

Joanne Dean swapped her comfortable office job to become a plum-picker in Stanthorpe.

“We also provide employment and a whole host of flowthrough community benefits for the major growing regions north of Brisbane and around Bundaberg.”

Mr Schultz said the industry was excited for people of all ages who are fit and able to come and give work on a strawberry farm a go this winter.

“We won’t deny that you will need to work hard, but the rewards are certainly there for people who are prepared to put the effort in, plus with our promotional incentive, you could end up as one of the lucky contestants playing for the chance to win up to $100,000 at the end of the season.”

For farm jobs, incentives and visitor accommodation and experiences, visit https://www.qld.gov.au/about/pickqld.