Agricultural Guestworker Program: Changes Could Improve Services to Employers and Better Protect Workers
Author: United States General Accounting Office
Date Published: 1998
This is a report on the possible farm labor shortage which would necessitate the importation of large numbers of foreign workers. Although there appears to be no national agricultural shortage presently, there are local shortages. According to this report, a sudden widespread farm labor shortage requiring the importation of large numbers of foreign workers is unlikely to occur in the near future. Few agricultural employers seek workers through the H-2A program, but those that do generally succeed in obtaining foreign agricultural workers on both a regular and emergency basis. However, changes in the program's operations could improve the ability of growers to obtain workers when needed and better protect the wages and working conditions of both domestic and foreign workers
Date Published: 1998
This is a report on the possible farm labor shortage which would necessitate the importation of large numbers of foreign workers. Although there appears to be no national agricultural shortage presently, there are local shortages. According to this report, a sudden widespread farm labor shortage requiring the importation of large numbers of foreign workers is unlikely to occur in the near future. Few agricultural employers seek workers through the H-2A program, but those that do generally succeed in obtaining foreign agricultural workers on both a regular and emergency basis. However, changes in the program's operations could improve the ability of growers to obtain workers when needed and better protect the wages and working conditions of both domestic and foreign workers
