The Seasonal Labour in Horticulture Survey in England collected data regarding the first quarter of 2019. The results presented in this publication are classified as experimental statistics. Experimental Statistics are those that are within their development phase and are published in order to involve potential users at an early stage in building a high quality set of statistics that meet user needs. The Experimental Statistics label highlights to users that Defra is still working on further developing the methodologies used in producing these statistics.
The results shown are averages for those that responded to the survey. The results have not been weighted to account for the background population. Whilst there does not appear to have been any bias in response, some care should be taken when interpreting the results.
Key findings
- 30% of survey respondents needed seasonal labour in quarter 1 of 2019
- Average shortfall was 4.3% in quarter 1 of 2019 for survey respondents who needed labour and had a shortfall
- Average shortfall ranged from 5 (Jan) to 10 (Mar) person days in quarter 1 of 2019 for survey respondents who needed labour and had a shortfall