{
  "id": "RL30395",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL30395",
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  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
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      "id": 353605,
      "date": "2009-11-09",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T02:11:49.047356",
      "title": "Farm Labor Shortages and Immigration Policy",
      "summary": "The connection between farm labor and immigration policies is a longstanding one, particularly with regard to U.S. employers\u2019 use of workers from Mexico. The Congress periodically has revisited the issue during debates on guest worker programs, increased border enforcement, and employer sanctions to curb the flow of unauthorized workers. Two decades ago, the Congress passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA, P.L. 99-603) to reduce illegal entry into the United States by imposing sanctions on employers who knowingly hire persons who lack permission to work in the country. In addition to a general legalization program, IRCA included legalization programs specific to the agricultural industry that were intended to compensate for the act\u2019s expected impact on the farm labor supply and encourage development of a legal crop workforce. These provisions of the act have not operated in the offsetting manner that was intended: substantial numbers of unauthorized aliens have continued to join legal farm workers in performing seasonal agricultural services (SAS).\nA little more than one-half of the SAS workforce is not authorized to hold U.S. jobs. Crop growers contend that their sizable presence implies a shortage of native-born farm workers. Grower advocates argue that farmers would rather not employ unauthorized workers because doing so puts them at risk of incurring penalties. Farm worker advocates counter that crop growers prefer unauthorized workers because they are in a weak bargaining position. If the supply of unauthorized workers were curtailed, it is claimed, farmers could adjust to a smaller workforce by introducing labor-efficient technologies and management practices, and by raising wages, which, in turn, would entice more U.S. workers to accept farm jobs. Growers respond that further mechanization would be difficult for some crops, and that much higher wages would make the U.S. industry uncompetitive in world markets without expanding the legal farm workforce. These remain untested arguments because perishable crop growers have rarely, if ever, operated without unauthorized foreign-born workers.\nTrends in the agricultural labor market generally do not suggest the existence of a nationwide shortage of domestically available farm workers, in part because the government\u2019s databases cover authorized and unauthorized workers. While total nonfarm wage and salary employment generally increased between the two recessions of the current decade, for example, the number of farm jobs fluctuated erratically and ended down for the period. The length of time hired farm workers are employed has changed little or fallen over the years as well. Their unemployment rate has varied slightly and remains well above the U.S. average. Underemployment among farm workers also remains substantial. In addition, the earnings of farm workers has changed little over time relative to other nonmanagement employees in the private sector.\nThis assessment does not preclude the possibility of labor shortages in particular geographic areas at particular times of the year. Some statistical evidence suggests that California growers experienced a tighter labor market in July 2007 compared to peak harvest season a year earlier, for example.",
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    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc817142/",
      "id": "RL30395_2008Jan17",
      "date": "2008-01-17",
      "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26",
      "title": "Farm Labor Shortages and Immigration Policy",
      "summary": null,
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
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    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc816956/",
      "id": "RL30395_2007Jan31",
      "date": "2007-01-31",
      "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26",
      "title": "Farm Labor Shortages and Immigration Policy",
      "summary": null,
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
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    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs8639/",
      "id": "RL30395_2006Mar29",
      "date": "2006-03-29",
      "retrieved": "2006-06-01T12:54:46",
      "title": "Farm Labor Shortages and Immigration Policy",
      "summary": "This report first explains the connection made over the past several years\r\nbetween farm labor and immigration policies. It next examines the composition of\r\nthe seasonal agricultural labor force and presents the arguments of grower and\r\nfarmworker advocates concerning its adequacy relative to employer demand. The\r\nreport closes with an analysis of the trends in employment, unemployment, time\r\nworked and wages of authorized and unauthorized farmworkers to determine whether they are consistent with the existence of a nationwide shortage of domestically\r\navailable farmworkers.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
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          "filename": "files/20060329_RL30395_65e2c539b2313c493a2b1ca10c081ce89656a43d.html"
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      "topics": [
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Agriculture",
          "name": "Agriculture"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Immigration policy",
          "name": "Immigration policy"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Alien labor",
          "name": "Alien labor"
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        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Agricultural labor - Labor supply",
          "name": "Agricultural labor - Labor supply"
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        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Immigration",
          "name": "Immigration"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Labor",
          "name": "Labor"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs8573/",
      "id": "RL30395_2006Jan25",
      "date": "2006-01-25",
      "retrieved": "2006-04-19T08:31:47",
      "title": "Farm Labor Shortages and Immigration Policy",
      "summary": "This report first explains the connection made over the past several years\r\nbetween farm labor and immigration policies. It next examines the composition of\r\nthe seasonal agricultural labor force and presents the arguments of grower and\r\nfarmworker advocates concerning its adequacy relative to employer demand. The\r\nreport closes with an analysis of the trends in employment, unemployment, time\r\nworked and wages of authorized and unauthorized farmworkers to determine whether they are consistent with the existence of a nationwide shortage of domestically\r\navailable farmworkers.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
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          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Agriculture",
          "name": "Agriculture"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Immigration policy",
          "name": "Immigration policy"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Alien labor",
          "name": "Alien labor"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Agricultural labor - Labor supply",
          "name": "Agricultural labor - Labor supply"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Immigration",
          "name": "Immigration"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Labor",
          "name": "Labor"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc807207/",
      "id": "RL30395_2005Feb22",
      "date": "2005-02-22",
      "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26",
      "title": "Farm Labor Shortages and Immigration Policy",
      "summary": null,
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
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    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs5729/",
      "id": "RL30395_2004Feb09",
      "date": "2004-02-09",
      "retrieved": "2005-06-10T18:17:47",
      "title": "Farm Labor Shortages and Immigration Policy",
      "summary": "This report first explains the connection made over the past several years\r\nbetween farm labor and immigration policies. It next examines the composition of\r\nthe seasonal agricultural labor force and presents the arguments of grower and\r\nfarmworker advocates concerning its adequacy relative to employer demand. The\r\nreport closes with an analysis of the trends in employment, unemployment, time\r\nworked and wages of authorized and unauthorized farmworkers to determine whether they are consistent with the existence of a nationwide shortage of domestically\r\navailable farmworkers.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
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          "id": "Agriculture",
          "name": "Agriculture"
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          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Immigration policy",
          "name": "Immigration policy"
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        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Alien labor",
          "name": "Alien labor"
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          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Agricultural labor - Labor supply",
          "name": "Agricultural labor - Labor supply"
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          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Immigration",
          "name": "Immigration"
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          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Labor",
          "name": "Labor"
        }
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    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs1378/",
      "id": "RL30395_2001Sep06",
      "date": "2001-09-06",
      "retrieved": "2005-06-10T18:17:28",
      "title": "Farm Labor Shortages and Immigration Policy",
      "summary": "This report first explains why the nexus between farm labor shortages and\r\nimmigration policy has again arisen. It next examines the composition of the seasonal agricultural labor force and presents the arguments of grower and farmworker advocates concerning its adequacy relative to employer demand. The report closes with an analysis of the trends in (un)employment, time worked and wages of legal and illegal farmworkers to determine if they are consistent with the existence of a nationwide shortage of domestically available farmworkers.",
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      "topics": [
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          "id": "Agriculture",
          "name": "Agriculture"
        },
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          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Immigration policy",
          "name": "Immigration policy"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Alien labor",
          "name": "Alien labor"
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          "id": "Agricultural labor - Labor supply",
          "name": "Agricultural labor - Labor supply"
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          "id": "Immigration",
          "name": "Immigration"
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          "id": "Labor",
          "name": "Labor"
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  "topics": [
    "Immigration Policy"
  ]
}