WSJ: U.S., Mexico Increasingly Competing for Farm Labor

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Dwindling Pool of Workers Likely to Have Implications on U.S. Agricultural Sector


Workers harvesting Pinot gris grapes at Goschie Farms in Silverton, Ore., in September. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG NEWS

By MIRIAM JORDAN Updated Jan. 23, 2015 4:21 p.m. ET

DAVIS, Calif.—The U.S. and Mexico are increasingly competing for a dwindling supply of farm labor, according to a new analysis, a development that likely will have long-term implications for the U.S. agricultural sector.

The majority of hired farmworkers in the U.S., estimated at around 1 million, are Mexican, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. In California, Mexican migrants account for 90% of hired workers, according to independent estimates. But the pool of Mexican agricultural workers is steadily declining, with no indication that it will be reversed, according to J. Edward Taylor, professor of agricultural and resource economics at the University of California, Davis.

The decline mainly results from changes in rural Mexico, including shrinking birthrates and a rise in the availability of education. There are also more jobs in nonagricultural sectors in Mexico as the economy there improves.

To meet its needs, Mexico has been importing farm workers from Guatemala, said Mr. Taylor. “Mexico is both an exporter and importer of farm workers,” he said at an immigration conference Friday.

FULL story at link. Would it help if the US farmers paid a higher wage?