‘Negative outlook for agri employment, despite good harvests’ 11 July 2020

The positive performance of the agriculture industry in South Africa, as indicated by current economic data, should persist throughout 2020. However, employment trends may not follow their typical trajectory in response to this “booming production”, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The seasonal labour component of the agricultural labour force could be the hardest hit during the year, according to Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist at Agbiz. He said South Africa’s most recent agricultural economic data reaffirmed Agbiz’s view that this would be a recovery year for the sector, following two consecutive years of decline.

The social-distancing regulations introduced at the end of March to prevent the spread of the pandemic could mean that farmers and agribusinesses may not increase employment, especially of seasonal labourers. Farmers could resort to increasing the working hours of trained staff members to minimise exposure and compensate for a reduced workforce. Jahni de Villiers, Agri SA’s policy head for labour and development, said the impact of the lockdown on employment would be reflected in the second quarter employment statistics from Statistics South Africa.

…In terms of regulations to prevent the spread of COVID-19, she said: “There isn’t a set number of people [who] can work per hectare. The regulations [state that] people need to be spaced 1,5m apart, or have a physical barrier between them if they are not able to be spaced 1,5m apart. Furthermore, we know that employers are innovating by dividing workers into smaller teams to ensure that if a COVID-19 case [is reported], the risk can be mitigated in the workplace.”