Attraction and Retention Strategies for the Meat Retailing Industry

The Australian ContextThe Australian red meat and livestock industry is comprised of producers, lot feeders, processors,retailers and exporters who together are responsible for guaranteeing the supply of red meat andlivestock to domestic and international markets.The red meat industry has a combined value of A$15.8 billion and has become one of the world’slargest exporters of red meat and livestock. Approximately 350,000 people are involved either directlyor in the supply chain or in businesses that service this industry, with over 50,000 people employed inthe meat processing and retail sectors.Meat retail has changed dramatically over the past 20 years with a rapid decline in the number of smallretail shops, due to the increased number of large supermarket chains. The way meat is cut, packaged,displayed and labelled has also changed dramatically and will continue to do so in the future.There has also been a change to the different types of meat consumed in Australia with the growingnumber of culturally diverse consumers, with halal and kosher meat becoming more in demand. Withthis cultural change we will also see an increase in the consumption of goat’s meat in the future.One of the major issues facing the meat industry at the moment is a severe skills shortage highlightedin Australia’s Red-Meat and Livestock Industry Meat Industry Strategic Plan 2010–2015. 7 This planlooks at the need to attract, develop and retain a productive workforce for the future success andviability of the industry.The first skills deficiency that the Fellow looked to address was the need to develop sustainablestrategies for the meat industry. In particular, the Fellow looked at attraction and retention strategiesas well as environmental issues in relation to recycled packaging. The Fellow has provided a SWOT(strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis for each skills deficiency below:SWOT AnalysisDevelop Sustainable Strategies for the Meat Retail IndustryStrengths• Australia’s Red-Meat and Livestock Industry Meat Industry Strategic Plan 2010–2015 is looking toaddress labour and environmental issues over the next five years• Support from peak industry bodies such as MINTRAC, MLA, AgriFood Skills Australia and AMIC inrelation to these issues• Meat retail is being included on the government skills shortage list; therefore, extra funding isavailable for employment and training. 8Weaknesses• Industry not marketed well to young Australians with little understanding of career opportunitiesthat the industry has to offer• More school leavers looking for tertiary qualifications• Low paid work competing with unskilled labour in the mining and construction sectors• Increase in vacuum sealed meat by the retail sector that is not recycled.Opportunities• Growing awareness of environmental impact of the industry and understanding of our carbon footprint• Increased financial support from government for attraction and retention of workers to the industry• Increased financial support from government in relation to environmental strategies67