A fifth of farms employed hired employees in 2020

In 2020, agriculture and horticulture employed some 134,000 people who carried out 63,000 annual work units (AWU). Hired employees worked on roughly 9,000 farms. Foreign employees accounted for roughly a third of permanently hired employees and half of seasonal employees on farms.

Since 2010, the number of agricultural and horticultural enterprises has decreased by 25 per cent. At the same time the workload of agriculture has decreased by approximately 20 per cent. Instead, the volume of agricultural production has not decreased noticeably.

In 2020, farmers, shareholders of enterprises and their family members accounted for nearly 70 per cent of the agricultural and horticultural labour force, i.e. some 90,000 people in total. There were a little more than 10,000 permanent employees and some 33,000 seasonal employees. The number of people employed in agriculture and horticulture and their workload were both adjusted downwards from the preliminary results published last September.

“In the final results, the workload was clearly lower in agriculture. This can be explained by the use of the Incomes Register’s data when calculating the workload of permanent employees. The use of the Incomes Register marked a significant change in the Agricultural Census, reducing the response burden of farms,” says Pasi Mattila, senior scientist at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).

Farmers and their family members accounted for a little more than 70 per cent of the workload in agriculture and horticulture, while permanent employees made up 10 per cent, measured in AWUs. The workload of short-term employees was slightly higher than that of permanent employees. The share of farmers and their family members from the total workload has decreased, as it was roughly 80 per cent throughout the 2010s. Farm relief workers and contractors combined accounted for six per cent of agricultural work.

The results regarding farmers and their family members are not fully comparable with previous results, as this was the first time when the workload of several owners could be reported for farms owned by private individuals. For this reason, the number and workload of farmers increased, while the number of family members decreased from 2016 when the statistics were previously compiled.

Horticultural farms use a significant number of hired employees

The workload of hired employees was the highest on outdoor horticultural farms, totalling roughly 3,400 AWUs. Seasonal employees accounted for the most significant part of this workload. On greenhouse farms, hired employees worked 2,500 AWUs. The workload of permanent hired employees was much higher than that of seasonal employees. Dairy farms also use a significant number of hired employees, accounting for roughly a tenth of the total workload. The largest number of hired employees worked in Southwest Finland.

In 2020, nearly 20,000 foreign employees worked on agricultural and horticultural farms in Finland. Of these, 3,400 were permanent and 16,400 seasonal employees. Nearly half of all hired foreign employees worked on outdoor horticultural farms. “Foreign labour force” means non-Finnish employees hired by farms.

“During the Agricultural Census, information on the home country of foreign employees was not requested but, according to information obtained from the Finnish Immigration Service, 95 per cent of all seasonal employees were from Ukraine,” says Jaana Kyyrä, project manager.

The 2020 Agricultural Census collected data about the agricultural and horticultural labour force

Data about the agricultural and horticultural labour force was collected from nearly 13,000 farms during the 2020 Agricultural Census. The collection of data ended in April 2021. Nearly 90 per cent of Finnish farmers responded to the survey. Preliminary results of the agricultural and horticultural labour force were published in September 2021. The results published now are final. Five preliminary statistics have been published based on the Agricultural Census. The final results will be published during the spring of 2022.

See statistics data related to the news in the statistical publication.