Phony Farm Labor Shortage: We Need to Talk About It

[get_involved]

"One way to test if there is a labor shortage on farms would be to look at the labor cost. If farms were truly struggling to find enough workers, their labor costs would be skyrocketing. But that isn’t what’s happening."

Phony Farm Labor Shortage: We Need to Talk About It - CNBC

Illegal immigrants work in many sectors of the U.S. economy. According to National Public Radio in 2005, about ONLY 3 PERCENT WORK IN AGRICULTURE; 33 percent have jobs in service industries; and substantial numbers can be found in construction and related occupations (16 percent), and in production, installation, and repair (17 percent).[5] According to USA Today in 2006, about 4 percent work in farming; 21 percent have jobs in service industries; and substantial numbers can be found in construction and related occupations (19 percent), and in production, installation, and repair (15 percent), with 12% in sales, 10% in management, and 8% in transportation.

 

[Againsheila]

Sadly they won't admit it. The Farmer's have done it to themselves and to keep their wages low and the illegals coming to work for them, they make up stupid rules like you have to have a years experience picking apples and you have to live in their shacks during picking season. There was no shortage of labor back when the buses picked up us American kids to do their picking.

 

[g5000]

"One way to test if there is a labor shortage on farms would be to look at the labor cost. If farms were truly struggling to find enough workers, their labor costs would be skyrocketing. But that isn’t what’s happening."

The person who said that is a dunce who is clueless to the nature of the market.

Their buyers won't pay more for produce, therefore there is a ceiling on wages.

The labor shortage is not a myth:

Oregon farmers say declining immigration from Mexico has spawned a labor shortage, forcing them to leave fields of ripened fruit untouched, raise wages for farm workers and turn to machinery for harvesting crops they would prefer to pick by hand.

But many growers say there's plenty of demand for their crops – and they can't find enough people to get them harvested.

Roy Malensky, who employs people to pick and process strawberries in Hillsboro, increased his picking wages from $2.25 per tray to $3 per tray when his usual crew of 200 was short by 75 workers after the first few days of the season. After that, buyers told him they might no longer be able to afford his growers' strawberries.

Farmers blame tight immigration for labor shortage in fields | OregonLive.com


Farmers can't find workers to pick their crops in Oregon, even after raising wages, and yet Oregon's unemployment rate is 8.9%. That is higher than the national average.

Proof positive that immigrants take jobs Americans refuse.

.

 

[g5000]

Every prosperous society has a large immigrant labor force. This is a fact that makes bigots uncomfortable.

Our government is not matching the immigrant labor demand with a legal supply.

.

 

[get_involved]

"One way to test if there is a labor shortage on farms would be to look at the labor cost. If farms were truly struggling to find enough workers, their labor costs would be skyrocketing. But that isn’t what’s happening."

The person who said that is a dunce who is clueless to the nature of the market.

Their buyers won't pay more for produce, therefore there is a ceiling on wages.

The labor shortage is not a myth:

Oregon farmers say declining immigration from Mexico has spawned a labor shortage, forcing them to leave fields of ripened fruit untouched, raise wages for farm workers and turn to machinery for harvesting crops they would prefer to pick by hand.

But many growers say there's plenty of demand for their crops – and they can't find enough people to get them harvested.

Roy Malensky, who employs people to pick and process strawberries in Hillsboro, increased his picking wages from $2.25 per tray to $3 per tray when his usual crew of 200 was short by 75 workers after the first few days of the season. After that, buyers told him they might no longer be able to afford his growers' strawberries.

Farmers blame tight immigration for labor shortage in fields | OregonLive.com


Farmers can't find workers to pick their crops in Oregon, even after raising wages, and yet Oregon's unemployment rate is 8.9%. That is higher than the national average.

Proof positive that immigrants take jobs Americans refuse.

.