New data from USDA shows the growth within the H-2A Visa Program for seasonal farmworkers.
The Department of Labor certified roughly 317,000 temporary jobs last year, six times more than what we saw in 2005. They say the H-2A program has grown, partly due to U.S. domestic workers finding jobs outside agriculture. It even expanded in 2020, despite the economic harm caused by Covid-19 lockdowns.
Six states account for about half of all H-2A jobs filled last year, including Florida, Georgia, Washington, California, North Carolina, and Louisiana. Right now, the average H-2A contract offers 24 weeks of work averaging $13 an hour.
