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National Agricultural Statistics Service

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  Farm Labor

The Farm Labor survey provides estimates of number of hired workers, average hours worked, and wage rates at regional and national levels. Information is also collected on the number and wages of workers performing agricultural services on farms in California and Florida.

The target population for the establishment portion of the Farm Labor survey is all farms with value of sales of $1,000 or more. The target population for the agricultural services is all operations that provide agricultural services to farmers.


Publications

Farm labor estimates are published quarterly and annually. EDD publishes monthly labor statistics for California. Annual average estimates for number of all hired workers, hours worked by hired workers and wage rates are publish in the October Farm Labor report. Quarterly regional estimates are made for number of workers, average hours worked and average wage rates. Agricultural services estimates are for number of workers, average hours worked, and average wage rate.


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Program Content

Questions asked on the Farm Labor surveys include the number of all hired workers, hours worked by hired workers and wage rates.

 

Uses

Farm employment and wage statistics are used by federal, state, and local government agencies, educational institutions, farm organizations, and private sector employers of farm labor. For example, agencies responsible for administering farm labor recruitment and placement programs use employment statistics in their planning and evaluation. Federal determination of wage rates for foreign farm workers consider NASS wage data. The wage rate index calculated from these data is a component of the Department of Agriculture=s Parity Index.

The H-2A Program is the provision under the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) which allows admission of temporary non-immigrant alien farm workers to perform farm labor or services of a temporary or seasonal nature in the United States. To hire H-2A workers, the employer must apply to the Department of Labor for an H-2A labor certificate showing that: (1) there are not sufficient U.S. workers who are able, willing, and qualified, and who will be available at the time and place needed to perform labor or services involved in the petition; and (2) the employment of aliens in such labor or service will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of the workers in the United States similarly employed.

Farm Labor survey collected data are used jointly by the USDA and the Department of Labor (DOL) to estimate the demand for, and availability of, labor for seasonal agricultural service crops specified in the IRCA.

 

Frequency

Farm labor statistics are collected and published quarterly.

 

Methods

A multiple frame sample design, with a combined sample of about 12,000, is used for the Farm Labor survey. Operations in the area sample that are not on the labor list provide a measure of the incompleteness of the list frame.

The agricultural services portion of the survey is a sample of about 600 selected from a special list frame composed of agricultural services operations in California and Florida. Farms in the establishment survey are asked for names of agricultural service operations that performed services for them.

Data are collected by Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews in NASS Data Collection Centers. The primary data collection method in California is mail. NASS and the California Employment Development Department (EDD) jointly estimate and publish farm labor statistics for the State of California. Personal interviews are reserved for special classes of nonrespondents, some large operators, and other special cases.

 

Related Programs

June Area

 

 


Last modified: 12/01/09