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Rural Migration BlogWorkers on Mexico’s Export FarmsNovember 19, 2019 About 6.5 million workers are employed in Mexico’s agricultural sector, including 3.5 million self-employed farmers and their family members. There are three million hired workers, including two million employed in Mexican states that produce farm goods primarily for Mexican consumers and a million in states that produce farm goods to export, primarily to the US. Continue reading "Workers on Mexico’s Export Farms"... Farm Subsidies and Farm TradeNovember 19, 2019 Most countries subsidize their farmers, transferring money from taxpayers and consumers to agricultural producers via income and price supports and restrictions on imports. Among countries with annual farm sales of $30 billion or more, Indonesia has the highest Total Support Estimate, representing transfers from taxpayers and consumers to farmers as a share of GDP, followed by China, Turkey, and Korea. The EU, Mexico, and the US have similar TSE rates, while Ukraine has a negative TSE, meaning that the government taxes agriculture. Continue reading "Farm Subsidies and Farm Trade"... Global Trade in Farm Goods: Top 20 CountriesNovember 19, 2019 The value of the world’s farm output is $5 trillion or six percent of the world’s $80 trillion GDP. About $1 trillion worth of farm goods are traded between countries, making the value of farm trade about six percent of the $20 trillion of annual trade in goods. Continue reading "Global Trade in Farm Goods: Top 20 Countries"... California: Seven of the most unequal citiesNovember 19, 2019 Wage inequality has risen in the US, and especially in California, which has seven of the 10 most unequal metro areas in the US. The wages of workers at the 90th percentile of earners are 65 to 79 percent higher than the wages of workers at the 10th percentile of earners in cities from San Diego to San Jose, making the so-called 90/10 ratio 6.5 to 7.9 for the most unequal California cities. Continue reading "California: Seven of the most unequal cities"... DOL Certified 258,000 Jobs in FY19November 19, 2019 The US Department of Labor certified almost 258,000 jobs to be filled with H-2A workers in FY19, up six percent from 243,000 in FY18. There is no limit on the number of H-2A workers who can be admitted; the number of H-2A jobs certified has risen from less than 50,000 in FY05. Continue reading "DOL Certified 258,000 Jobs in FY19"... Forced 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"...
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