Farmers have been told to reach out to their local Jobcentres to meet their recruitment needs as part of a new government push to help 500,000 jobseekers find work.
The Minister for Employment Mims Davies suggested that farm employers, many of which continue to see chronic labour shortages, should utilise Jobcentres more.
It is part of the Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) Way to Work campaign, which wants to help people on Universal Credit find work.
The partnership, between government and employers, aims to get 500,000 jobseekers into work by the end of June 2022.
A significant decline in overseas labour over the past couple of years has led to thousands of vacancies in the food and farming sector.
Reasons for the decline have been blamed on the new post-Brexit immigration regime and the global pandemic.
Speaking to the farming sector in a webinar hosted by DWP, Minister Davies highlighted that the campaign would help farmers find new workers.
She said Jobcentres were helping jobseekers look to new sectors for work opportunities, including in food and farming.
"With hundreds of Jobcentres dotted in every region, DWP is well-equipped to match and train the many talented, work-ready people on Universal Credit, to take on unfilled vacancies across these sectors," she said.
"Our Way to Work campaign connects thousands of job ready candidates with employers in a wide range of exciting sectors who are looking for new recruits to fill their vacancies.
“That’s why I encourage all employers to tap into their local Jobcentre and the talents of those eager to start new roles who are just down the road.”
Ms Davies said the Jobcentre network was also supporting the industry to fill roles through sector-based Work Academy Placements (SWAPs), which train up claimants to work.
For example, in Norfolk, Dereham Jobcentre has created placements to help local people train for roles on the farm, such as turkey catching.
