Work Organization, Employment Conditions, and Professional Development Among Dairy Farm Milkers: Evidence from Chile

Dairy farms increasingly face labor-availability challenges, yet evidence centered on hired milkers remains limited. This study aimed to provide a worker-centered assessment of dairy farm milking employment in Chile by characterizing active milkers’ sociodemographic and occupational profiles, work organization, employment conditions, and professional development, and by examining associations between worker and farm characteristics and employment-related outcomes. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between May and July 2024, and responses from 101 active milkers were analyzed using descriptive statistics and cumulative-link ordinal logistic regression. Permanent contracts and full-time employment were reported by 90.1% and 98.0% of participants, respectively, while 73.3% received additional bonuses. Participants had a median of 10 years of experience, had worked on a median of three dairy farms, and had a median tenure of three years in their current or most recent job. Regular training opportunities were reported by 22.8%, whereas 28.7% reported none. Herds of ≥801 cows were associated with longer milking duration compared with herds of ≤300 cows (OR: 8.44), postsecondary education with higher salary categories (OR: 3.75), and salaries above 1,000,000 Chilean pesos (CLP; approximately USD 1079) with greater satisfaction with remuneration compared with salaries ≤CLP 750,000 (approximately USD 809) (OR: 15.27). The findings indicate that dairy labor constraints may involve not only recruitment, but also worker retention, work organization, and access to professional development.