Backpacker numbers drop as Pacific workers fill the gap

Backpacker numbers to Australia have dropped for the seventh year in a row, while reliance on Pacific Island workers almost doubled.

Farm work: The number of backpackers – who farmers rely on for casual labour during harvest – has been declining.

BACKPACKER numbers to Australia have dropped for the seventh year in a row, while Australian farmers’ reliance on Pacific Island workers almost doubled.

Department of Home Affairs figures show the total number of working holiday-makers for 2018-19 was just 209,036 – down from the 210,456 recorded for 2017-18.

The decline comes despite the Federal Government relaxing the criteria for the program, including lifting caps on the number of visas available and increasing the age eligibility for applicants, in a bid to address agriculture’s ongoing labour shortage issues.

Meanwhile, 12,200 visas were granted under the Pacific Island seasonal worker scheme – an increase of more than 44 per cent.

The number of backpackers – who farmers rely on for casual labour during harvest – has been declining since reaching a peak of 258,248 in 2013, with consistently fewer applications under the 417 visa stream, open to workers from the UK, Taiwan, Canada and many European countries.

There were almost 10,000 fewer first-year applications in 2018-19, at 142,805 compared with 152,622 the year before.

Second year 417 visas – which applicants are eligible for after completing three months regional work – increased from 32,828 to 37,418.

A Department spokesperson said this meant more young people were working in and supporting regional areas.

The Government broadened the working holiday program last year to address agriculture’s worker shortages, including: increasing the annual visa caps, expanding the areas that counted toward regional work, and increasing the age for Canadian and Irish applicants to 35.

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From July this year backpackers could apply for a third year if they complete an extra six months regional work; the spokesperson anticipated the first of these applications would come through in January.

Meanwhile the shift to the seasonal worker program – open to Pacific Island nations including Vanuatu, Fiji and Samoa – continues, with 131 employers registered in 2018-19 and more than 4000 extra visas granted.

The Government relaxed criteria around the scheme last year, in a bid to encourage more farmers to use the program.