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Migrant Farmworkers: Characteristics and Trends

Author: Whitener, Leslie A.
Date Published: 1985


This paper was presented at the Conference on Migrant Farmworkers: Problems and Solutions Sponsored by the National Governor's Association and the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs in Seattle, Washington April 15 - 16, 1985. Despite the long-term interest in the social and economic conditions of migrant farmworkers, there continues to be a paucity of information on this segment of the Nation's hired farm work force. This lack of detailed information has led to considerable speculation and generalization about migrant farmworkers. Popular image depicts migrants as a large, homogeneous group of low-income workers with little education and few skills who travel considerable distances to harvest the Nation's farm produce. Their low incomes are generally attributed to their strong dependence on low-wage agricultural work, and their economic problems are complicated while in transit. Migrants are generally described as one of the most disadvantaged group of workers in the United States. This paper uses data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Hired Farm Working Force Survey to look at historical trends in the number of migrants over the last 30 years and to examine the demographic and economic characteristics of migrants in 1983. Some policy implications of the findings are also discussed.

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Number of Pages: 20