Policy and Low-Wage Labor Supply: A Case Study of Policy and Farm Labor Markets in New York State

"Farm operators and industry groups often advocate for change in immigration policy to address farm labor shortages. Such calls for intervention raise questions about the range of policies that relate to labor supply and affect farm workers in local markets. This paper describes a case study of policies related to farm worker supply and how these play out in labor markets in New York, drawing from government and interest group records, statistics from NAWS [National Agricultural Workers Survey], and qualitative interviews. Results illustrate the complexity of policies influencing labor supply and workforce organization and point to challenges inherent in maintaining workforces while attending to the quality of farm work" (p.v). (Abstractor: Author)

- "...the study did show that wages have been flat while incomes have increased (perhaps due to more work time and longer hours) though well over a third surveyed by NAWS are below the poverty level" (p.45). - "Observers of farm labor markets also point out that if wages were higher there would be more mechanization of harvesting so less labor would be required. Yet it is crucial to farmworkers and their children, and more generally for how policymakers think about low-wage jobs, to seek to improve the conditions of farm jobs themselves, and others often categorized as low skill, in order to reduce turnover while improving living standards" (p.46). - "...it would also be beneficial to study whether such farm jobs create sufficient economic security and job quality to merit policy investment, whether they are desired by employers or workers, or whether such efforts can benefit both farmers and workers" (p.46-47). - "Greater insight into how the H-2A program is used might shed more light on both how to meet labor needs of employers and possibilities for improving the situation of workers. Local government staff have expertise on how this program is used already, but program data collection could provide more information" (p.48).

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2011
• Author(s): Nisbet, Elizabeth
• Organizational Author(s): Bloustein School for Planning and Policy, Rutgers University
• Funding Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
• Resource Availability: Publicly available
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• Posted in: Workforce System Strategies