HORTICULTURE is experiencing a labour boom as the economic crisis swells the ranks of job hunters.
The National Harvest Labour Information Service reports a surge in the number of people looking for harvest work.
Manager Mary-Anne Maloney said there wasn't a "shadow of doubt" the economic downturn was fuelling the increase.
"Jobs are filled in a matter of minutes of coming into our call centre, even before they're put up on the website," she said.
Last week, the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed national unemployment had risen to a six-year high of 5.8 per cent, with more than 660,000 people looking for work.
"There's been an increase in the number of 'grey nomads' who've found their superannuation dwindling, so they've turned to harvest work," Ms Maloney said.
Increasing numbers of workers displaced from mining and construction also contact the service.
National Farmers' Federation workplace relations manager Denita Wawn said while harvest labour was plentiful, there was still an un-met demand for skilled labour in the bush.
"A lot of unemployed people with skills are in major cities," Mrs Wawn said. "The challenge is to encourage them to move into regional areas."
