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With school closures and recent layoffs, there have been reports of more people looking for work on farms.
Michael Brady of Brady Group Agri said that he had a number of clients who had been contacted by students looking for work.
“The students and people who have an appetite for work would rather do that than be on the dole,” Brady said.
Jobseekers
“They realise they can get more money working for a farmer than being on social welfare.”
Currently, the weekly Jobseekers Allowance stands at €203 per week.
Farm Relief Services (FRS) said that it had seen a slight increase in calls from people looking for positions on farms but “nothing significant".
With the expansion of the dairy industry in a post-quota era, the shortage of adequate farm labour has been acute in some areas, with an estimation from Teagasc that up to 6,000 additional on-farm workers will be needed by 2025.
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