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Rural Migration BlogForced Labor and Human TraffickingOctober 9, 2019 The Financial Sector Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking released a report in September 2019 that estimated there were 40.3 million people in modern slavery or victims of human trafficking in 2016, generating $150 billion a year for their perpetrators. SDG 8.7 calls on UN member nations to end modern slavery and human trafficking by 2030. Continue reading "Forced Labor and Human Trafficking"... DESA: 272 Million International Migrants in 2019October 9, 2019 The Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) reported that the number of international migrants rose by 51 million between 2010 and 2019, from 221 million to 272 million. Migrants were 3.5 percent of the world’s 7.7 billion people in 2019. Continue reading "DESA: 272 Million International Migrants in 2019"... DOL projects US labor force of 171 million in 2028October 9, 2019 DOL’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released projections of the US economy and labor force in October 2019 that anticipate a labor force of 171 million in 2028 and a labor force participation rate (LFPR) of 61 percent, versus a peak LFPR of 67 percent in 2000. Employment is projected to increase slower, and the LFPR or the share of persons 16 and older who are employed or looking for work is projected to decline, because of the aging US population. Continue reading "DOL projects US labor force of 171 million in 2028"... Mexico’s Agricultural ExportsOctober 9, 2019 Mexico is a major exporter of fresh fruits and vegetables and other agricultural commodities; most of Mexico’s agricultural exports go to the US. Between 2000 and 2018, Mexico’s agricultural exports to the US rose fourfold to $28 billion, while US agricultural exports to Mexico doubled to $20 billion, giving Mexico an $8 billion agricultural trade surplus with the US in 2018. Continue reading "Mexico’s Agricultural Exports"... H-2A Prevailing Wage SurveysOctober 9, 2019 Farm employers seeking DOL certification to employ H-2Aworkers must offer and pay the higher of the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR), the prevailing wage in the area, or the federal or state minimum wage. The AEWR is usually the highest of these wages and covers a range of farm jobs in a state or multistate region, while the prevailing wage is for a particular task in a particular area of a state, such as harvesting strawberries in Salinas-Watsonville. Continue reading "H-2A Prevailing Wage Surveys"... USDA’s Agricultural or Farm Labor SurveySeptember 9, 2019 USDA’s Agricultural or Farm Labor Survey collects data on earnings and hours worked of various types of farm workers from a sample of about 6,000 US farm employers for the week that includes the 12th of the month for January, April, July, and October (about half of the 12,000 farms contacted provide data). Employers report total wages paid and the number of hours worked for directly hired workers, including paid family members, and separate these hired workers into workers who will be employed on the farm for more than 150 days and workers who will be employed less than 150 days. Continue reading "USDA’s Agricultural or Farm Labor Survey"... COA Farm Labor Expenditures 2017September 9, 2019 The Census of Agriculture collects data from farm employers on their expenditures for (1) directly hired labor, including employer payroll taxes and the cost of any employer-provided benefits, and (2) contract labor expenses, which are wages paid as well as contractor payroll taxes, work-related benefits, and other contractor expenses and profits. Continue reading "COA Farm Labor Expenditures 2017"... The H-2A Program and AEWRs: FLS and OESSeptember 9, 2019 The H-2A program allows farmers who satisfy US recruitment, housing, and wage obligations to employ guest workers in seasonal jobs, generally up to 10 months. The wage obligation is to offer and pay US and H-2A workers the higher of the federal or state minimum wage, the prevailing wage for the commodity and area, the collectively bargained wage, or the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR). Continue reading "The H-2A Program and AEWRs: FLS and OES"... The H-2A Program and AEWRsSeptember 9, 2019 The H-2A program allows farmers to recruit and employ foreign workers if there are not sufficient US workers who are “able, willing, and qualified” to fill their seasonal farm jobs, and if the presence of H-2A foreign workers will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of US farm workers. Continue reading "The H-2A Program and AEWRs"... H-2A Program Continues to ExpandSeptember 9, 2019 The H-2A program continues to expand. Over 206,000 farm jobs were certified to be filled with H-2A workers during the first three quarters of FY19, up seven percent from 193,000 in FY18. Most jobs are certified between January and June, two thirds of the 243,000 in FY18. The US Department of Labor (DOL) certified 171,000 H-2A jobs between January and June 2019, which suggests that total certifications for FY19 could top 255,000. Continue reading "H-2A Program Continues to Expand"...
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