Horticulture skills surveys

To help characterise the current labour and skills situation in horticulture, AHDB funded two skills surveys – one focused on ornamental horticulture and the other edible horticulture.

The ornamental and edible horticulture sectors cover a diverse range of production systems and manual labour inputs, the majority of which require specialised skill sets that are a challenge to attain. In recognition of the shortages in labour and the skills gaps that exist in the sector, AHDB, with support from other industry stakeholders, funded these surveys to gather evidence on the industry’s skills and labour force requirements.

The goal of these surveys was to provide an evidence-based summary of the current state of labour in the sector and to help highlight a route to achieving the sector’s full labour potential and workforce sustainability. Stakeholders and industry can use the survey data, to: 

• Support the case for lobbying government and requests for funding
• Help inform on migratory advisory committee consultations
• Break down barriers with providers to enable available training to be led by business need

We hope this project will help with the attainment of a sufficient labour force post-EU exit, and a skilled career pathway into the industry.