The H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker Program in 2020

by Marcelo Castillo, Philip Martin, and Zachariah Rutledge

The H-2A Agricultural Guest Worker program allows U.S. agricultural employers who anticipate labor shortages to hire foreign workers on a temporary or seasonal basis. This report analyzes—by State, industry, and type of employer— the job offers of U.S. agricultural employers who sought U.S. Department of Labor certification in fiscal year 2020. The number of jobs certified to be filled with H-2A workers increased from around 75,000 in FY 2010 to around 275,000 in FY 2020. Six States accounted for 55 percent of H-2A jobs certified: Florida (14 percent), Georgia (10 percent), Washington (10 percent), California (9 percent), North Carolina (8 percent), and Louisiana (4 percent).

Keywords: COVID-19, H-2A guest workers, farm wages, farm labor, immigration, agriculture, foreign worker, seasonal labor, labor market, legal status, farm labor contractor

In this publication...

• Entire Report
• Report summary