August 10, 2021

 

US pork needs more access to foreign-born workforce, according to study

 

 

Despite competitive wages and an expanding workforce, the US pork industry continues to struggle with a labor shortage that will require access to more foreign-born workers to remain sustainable, according to a study by Iowa State University economists.

 

The study was recently updated to reflect the current state of the labour market. It underscores the urgent need for agriculture labour reform, a top priority for the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC).

 

"Conditions in the agricultural labor market have been challenging for decades. The agricultural industry in the US has progressed from a fairly large labor-intensive sector where family members supplied the majority of the farm labor, to one of much larger, more capital-intensive farms requiring a larger workforce comprised of skilled farm operators supplemented by a pool of unskilled labor, which is often seasonal and migrant," said the economists concerning the current state of the agriculture labor market. "As a result of this evolution in both the number and the skill level required of employees in agriculture, many farmers have struggled with labour hiring and retention challenges."

 

According to the study, from 2001-2020, employment in the US pork industry grew by an annual rate of 1.5%, four times faster than employment growth in all US industries. Despite expanded wages and jobs, the US pork industry is facing a significant domestic labor shortage due to a dwindling and aging rural labor population where hog farms and harvest facilities are located, noted the study. From 2014-2019, the rural labor force shrank in five of the eight top pork-producing states, it found.

 

Foreign-born workers have been critical to the US pork industry's economic growth, the study found.

 

"In many rural labor markets, immigrant workers have lessened the negative effect of net out-migration, helping to keep rural communities in these markets economically viable," stated the study.

 

However, pork producers continue to struggle with ongoing labor shortages, and native-born workers and permanent residents cannot offset the need for foreign-born employees, the study concluded.

 

Current visa programmes designed for seasonal agriculture— such as the H-2A visa — fail to meet the workforce needs of US pork producers and other year-round livestock farmers. To address the labor shortage, NPPC is advocating for year-round access to the H-2A visa programme without a cap.

 

"The US pork industry has a critical labor shortage that needs to be urgently addressed," said NPPC president Jen Sorenson, who testified last month before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the need for labor reform. "Pork production is year-round, and visa reform should reflect that reality."

 

Last month, NPPC launched its "Year-Round Pork Needs Year-Round Workers" campaign to profile the stories of four foreign-born workers who make vital contributions to the US pork industry and their communities.

 

- NPPC