While slightly more than a third of growers said that they didn’t have a need for additional labor, another similarly sized group said that they’re still unable to find qualified labor in their respective markets; 6% more growers said they can’t find the right person for the job this year. The vast majority of growers — 79% — still consider finding high-quality hires to be difficult, a result that has also been supported anecdotally through conversations we’ve had with them throughout the year.
As Dorothy Russo, Chief of growing operations at Al’s Garden & Home in Oregon stated, "Seasonal labor was extremely hard for us to find. With the increase in minimum wage that we are experiencing, all other wages and salaries have increased as well. We work closely with a company called Hire Horticulture to fill our gaps and they are always looking for employees for us both young and mid-career."
Click here to read Karen's article in the October 2018 Greenhouse Management magazine.