The Council of Agriculture is recruiting agricultural masters and farm service workers, with a farming fund bonus on top of salary

Text by the Counseling Office of the Council of Agriculture

To address the problem of seasonal agricultural labor shortages, the Council of Agriculture is planning to promote the "Seasonal Agricultural Labor Shortage 2.0 Measures," expanding the new labor force by adding 8 agricultural professional technical teams and 16 farm service teams, thereby broadening the scope of service. Registration for the agricultural professional technical teams runs until the 23rd of this (June) month, and registration for the farm service teams runs until the 20th. Members of the public interested in working in agriculture should seize the opportunity and register as soon as possible (registration links for both are at the end of this article).

Agricultural professional technical teams train "agricultural masters"; farm service teams assist with general farm work

The Council of Agriculture stated that the "agricultural professional technical teams" will add 8 new teams: the Changhua team, Chiayi team, Tainan team, Liugui team, Pingbei team, Yilan team, Hualien team, and Taitung team. Those who pass the selection will take a two-week agricultural professional training course at an agricultural research and extension station, after which they will be matched by the respective dispatching farmers' associations to farms facing labor shortages, assisting with farm work requiring a relatively high level of professional skill. After passing an on-site work assessment, those with satisfactory results will be issued an "agricultural master" certificate by the extension station.

In addition, the newly established "farm service teams" include 16 teams: the Taoyuan team, Hsinchu team, Nantou team, Yilan team, Miaoli Sanwan team, Miaoli Tongluo team, Hualien Ji'an team, Hualien Shoufeng team, Hualien Ruisui team, Yunlin Huwei team, Yunlin Beigang team, Yunlin Tuku team, Yunlin Yuanchang team, Yunlin Erlun team, Yunlin Citong team, and Yunlin Dapi team. Those who pass the selection as farm service workers will, after taking labor safety training, be matched directly by the respective dispatching farmers' associations to farms facing labor shortages, assisting with general-skill farm work.

In addition to wages, workers can also receive employment incentive payments and a farming fund

The Council of Agriculture pointed out that while agricultural masters and farm service workers work at various farms, in addition to the wages paid by the farm owners at market rates, the council will also issue employment incentive payments. Anyone who works continuously for 30 days under the same dispatching farmers' association can receive up to NT$8,800 per person per month, and can continue to receive this until the annual plan concludes.

Furthermore, to encourage agricultural masters in the agricultural professional technical teams to work in agriculture in the future, the council will also issue a farming fund. Anyone employed in farm work who works 144 hours or more per month will have NT$10,000 deposited that month as a farming start-up incentive in a dedicated savings account opened by the dispatching farmers' association. If the same agricultural master remains continuously employed at the same dispatching farmers' association until the annual plan concludes, they may withdraw the above incentive payment.

The Council of Agriculture emphasized that in the first half of this year, the council piloted one agricultural professional technical team each in Taichung, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung, three cities and counties. Team members underwent physical fitness tests and, after receiving two weeks of intensive agricultural professional training and examinations at the extension stations, a total of 90 were selected on a merit basis. Work assignments began on April 5, and as of May 31, they had served a total of 218 farms and provided 25,648 hours of farm work, with an average assignment rate of 90%. The work schedules of all teams have already been booked through the end of August this year.

Guidelines for the 2017 (ROC year 106) Second Agricultural Professional Technical Team Agricultural Master Recruitment and Training

Guidelines for the 2017 (ROC year 106) Farm Service Team Farm Service Worker Recruitment, click here

Agricultural technical teams formed, professional masters' monthly salary could reach NT$52,000