Why has it become so tough to find ringers for the Top End?
In recent years, school leavers have descended on the north looking for a 'gap year' in the bush, working as station hands, jillaroos, jackaroos, cooks, governesses, and other roles that do not necessarily require prior experience.
But this year cattle stations across the Northern Territory are having difficulty finding workers to fill their stock camps.
Some station managers have told ABC Rural, 2018 has been the toughest year for recruitment.
Tanya Brooks handles recruitment for Crown Point Pastoral, which owns and runs the stations Andado, New Crown, Lilla Creek and Horseshoe Bend in central Australia.
"This year we probably haven't got as many as we had hoped for, but we have filled our key roles," Ms Brooks said.
"Throughout the year we'll continue to hire more station hands and possibly bore runners as we go.
Social media's role in recruitment
According to Ms Brooks, the increased difficulty in finding staff could come down to the rise of social media.
She said there was stiff competition among stations posting jobs for station work and farm hands on social media recruitment sites.
"You have to be quick to snap up the good people," Ms Brooks said.
"Social media is great for us as we are able to post our jobs, but at the same time, you've got to be aware that there are probably 10 other people looking at the same person."
Consolidated Pastoral Company (CPC) chief executive Troy Setter said social media could be better used long-term to promote careers in the pastoral sector.
"If we want new people to continue to join [the industry], we've all got a responsibility as participants in the red meat industry to promote the career opportunities and the excitement of working in agribusinesses and the beef industry."
Technical roles harder to fill
This year, even large corporate cattle companies like CPC, Australia's largest privately-owned cattle enterprise, have noticed the drop-off in available labour.
"It is not as deep a pool of applicants as we have had over the last three or four years," said Mr Setter.
He said a resurgence in mining was making it difficult to find mechanics, bore runners and machinery operators.
"It is a little bit early to tell whether it is just a cycle this year, where we have had a few people decide to go to university or to pursue other career opportunities."
It has meant that stations across the north have had to start first-round muster short-staffed.
Dugald Storie from recruitment agency Bush Recruitment said the hardest roles to fill were the more experienced technical roles like head stockman.
"At the end of 2016, there were so many applicants and this year there are fewer, but there are a lot of very good applicants that have stepped up," he said.
"Head stockmen are thin on the ground but those senior roles are always thin on the ground.
"I would say though this year there are fewer people but more quality applicants."
Recruitment — treat it like a dating service
Mr Storie said station managers should treat the hiring process more like a dating service.
"Find out about people's personalities and if you think they will fit into your station, he said.
"I put people in the position they are best suited to, rather than just chucking them out anywhere," he said.
"I think people make the mistake of just doing a reference check and taking them on and that is fine.
Just like with dating, if you wait too long all the good ones will be gone, so Mr Storie said people needed to find staff early.
"Work out which of your current staff will stay and who will go, so you can start advertising early," he said.
"My regular clients come to me as early as September. For the last six months of the year all I am doing is just recruiting for the next year."
