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Estonian farmers desperate for workers to harvest crops, clear fields
🇪🇪 Estonia /Economy & Trade

Estonian farmers desperate for workers to harvest crops, clear fields

From Postimees · () Estonian

Translated from Estonian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Estonian farmers struggle to find seasonal workers for tasks like harvesting strawberries and clearing fields.
  • Companies like OÜ Betle Grupp face significant challenges in recruiting the necessary staff for agricultural operations.
  • The difficulty in finding suitable employees impacts young people, seasonal laborers, and specialists in the farming sector.

Estonian farmers are facing a critical shortage of seasonal workers, impacting essential agricultural tasks from strawberry harvesting to field clearing. Gunnar Tärn, head of OÜ Betle Grupp, a strawberry farm in Harjumaa, stated that finding seasonal workers has been a major challenge for years. This difficulty affects not only young people and temporary laborers but also specialized roles crucial for the harvest, such as those operating grain dryers.

The agricultural sector across Estonia is experiencing a growing struggle to find qualified employees. While discussions about labor shortages in cities often remain theoretical, for farmers, it translates into very practical and pressing questions about who will perform the necessary work to ensure a successful harvest and maintain operations. The need for workers is constant, spanning from planting to post-harvest tasks.

Finding seasonal workers has been one of the company's biggest challenges for years.

— Gunnar TärnHead of OÜ Betle Grupp, discussing the difficulty in recruiting staff.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Postimees in Estonian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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