Expatriate Farm Work

Nearly one-third of the population of Australia is born overseas, making the country a massive immigrant nation. For first generation families and many expats coming to Australia, finding work in agriculture in the regional parts of the country are their best bet at earning an extended stay.

Agriculture remains a small industry in Australia due to many factors including vast stretches of land unsuitable for farming, extreme climate variability, high input costs, and intense competition in both global and domestic markets. Despite this, agriculture is important to the Australian economy, accounting for 55% of land use, 74% of water consumption, and 13.6% of goods and services exports*.

Beneath the surface of the Australia many Americans are familiar with, there remains a massive labor force of migrant workers coming from all corners of the world, creating a melting pot of cultures and peoples working to earn their keep, one way or another.

* Rhys Downham, Fred Litchfield. “Labour use in Australian agriculture: Analysis of survey results, 2021–22” Agriculture workforce data, agriculture.gov.au. web, 2024