Source: UC DAVIS, RURAL MIGRATION NEWS, 6/21/21


US farm employment fell and hourly wages rose between April 2020 and April 2021. The fall in employment was sharpest in Florida, down 26 percent, and the increase in wages was largest in California, to $17.25 an hour.

More comprehensive data tell a similar story.
• Average employment in crop agriculture fell by 6,000 between 2019 and 2020 to 540,600 and for FLCs was down by 10,000 to 172,000
• Average weekly crop wages rose over seven percent between 2019 and 2020 to $732, and weekly wages for FLC employees rose 10 percent to $580
• FLCs were the major shock absorbers for reduced employment in US crop agriculture during covid, and the gap between the wages of directly hire and FLC employees shrank

FLS. USDA’s Farm Labor Survey found that the employment of directly hired workers fell 11 percent between April 2020 and April 2021. The drop in farm employment was largest in Florida, down 26 percent, and was down 14 percent in California.

For more of this story, click here.