November 2017
Big 5 ag sectors pay most farm wages, led by crop support services
The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) collects employment and earnings data on workers covered by Unemployment Insurance, which means practically all farm workers in states such as California and Washington and 81 percent of US farm workers. QCEW data on farm workers are available by detailed commodity, and are released soon after employers pay UI taxes on their workers’ wages.
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Farm wage and salary jobs expected to be stable at 1.5 million; Hired workers are two thirds of average employment in agriculture
DOL released labor force projections for 2016-26 that forecast the US labor force expanding by a million a year, from 159 million in 2016 to 170 million in 2026. About 61 percent of the 278 million US residents 16 and older are expected to be employed or looking for work in 2026, down from the peak labor force participation rate of 67 percent in the late 1990s. The median age of workers, now 42, is projected to rise slightly.
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US Fruit and Vegetable Imports and Farm Workers
The US has exported more farm commodities than it imported since 1960. The agricultural trade surplus is expected to be $24 billion in 2017, down from over $40 billion in 2011 and 2014 but up from less than $5 billion in 2005 and 2006.
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What would happen without immigrant farm workers?
About 70 percent of US farm workers were born abroad, and 70 percent of these foreign-born farm workers are unauthorized, making half of the US farm workforce unauthorized. What would happen if unauthorized farm workers were removed from the US?
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H-2A Jobs Certified top 200,000; H-2C
The number of H-2A jobs certified by the US Department of Labor to be filled with guest workers was 200,049 in FY17, up over 20 percent from 165,000 in FY16. Five states accounted for 52 percent of all jobs certified; FL 13 percent, GA 12, percent, NC, 10 percent, WA, nine percent, and CA eight percent.
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