Tide turns on shearing industry's workforce woes

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After years of shearer shortages, young guns are hitting shearing sheds in record numbers thanks to 'professional' newcomers and the pandemic's 'silver lining'.

Three weeks after completing training, young shearers can shear 100 or more sheep a day.abc.net.au/news/retention-young-pro-shearers-helps-shortage-wool-industry/101510826Shearing sheds are coming to life in parts of South Australia and Victoria after a workforce crisis that's caused a collective headache for the industry in recent years.

"There's a lot of good young people coming into the industry this year … although we're still struggling for wool handlers and shed staff.There are about 2,000 working shearers in Australia today compared to 10,000 30 years ago. In the past 18 months, 209 new shearers entered the industry in South Australia and Victoria alone, Mr Haynes said."Now those young people are shearing well over 150 or 160 a day, which is very positive for local woolgrowers – and it means they're taking home a really good pay cheque too."

"That's the biggest thing we found with COVID was young shearers getting the opportunity to jump on a stand and stay there," he said.

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GethinDavies74 Agreed, just finished shearing with a great young team most aged under 25!

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