As tasks became more automated, the agriculture industry saw a decades long decline in labor from 1950-1990.
During that time period, the number of self-employed and family farmworkers declined from 7.60 million in 1950 to 2.01 million in 1990, a 74-percent reduction. Hired farmworkers, including on-farm support personnel and those who work for farm labor contractors also declined from 2.33 million to 1.15 million, a 51-percent reduction according to the USDA Economic Research Service.
In the 2000’s, stabilization of employment in the agriculture industry was seen and has been gradually increasing since 2010, rising from 1.11 million in 2012 to 1.18 million in 2022. The highest percentage increases have been in crop support services and the livestock sector. Women are also increasing their presence in the hired farm workforce, which climbed to 28% in 2021 compared to 20% in 2006.
While farmers have seen an increase in cost of labor, the impact on average, has been offset by increased productivity and/or prices for goods produced. For all farms, labor costs, including contract labor, averaged 10.4% of gross cash income during 2018–20, compared with 11.0% during 1998–2000. When looking at individual industry segments however, nursery operations are near a 20-year high and fruit and vegetable segments appear to be seeing increased labor costs as well.
The H-2A guest worker visa program provides a legal means to bring foreign workers to the United States to provide seasonal farm labor on a temporary basis. Over the past 17 years, the number of H-2A positions requested has increased dramatically. In 2005, just over 48,000 positions were certified and in 2022 the agricultural industry saw around 371,000. Around 80% of those jobs resulted in a visa being issued.
Under the H-2A program, employers must have a temporary or seasonal need for labor. Employers must post job openings, with hourly wage included, to allow opportunity for U.S. workers to apply.
For additional information regarding the H-2A program, contact the Federation of Employers and Workers of America (FEWA). FEWA is an internationally recognized nonprofit trade association created to assist employers in labor-intensive service industries throughout the United States. FEWA helps companies tap into the labor market of the world through the H-2A and H-2B federal guest worker visa programs.
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