Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for Wagner-Peyser Program (Employment Services)
All Program-Specific Requirements provided for the WIOA core programs in this section must be addressed for either a Unified or Combined State Plan.
e. 3. An assessment of the unique needs of farmworkers means summarizing Migrant and Seasonal Farm Worker (MSFW) characteristics (including if they are predominantly from certain countries, what language(s) they speak, the approximate number of MSFWs in the State during peak season and during low season, and whether they tend to be migrant, seasonal, or year-round farmworkers). This information must take into account data supplied by WIOA Section 167 National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP) grantees, other MSFW organizations, employer organizations, and State and/or Federal agency data sources such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Employment and Training Administration
Current Narrative:
The Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers (MSFWs) are vital to Michigan’s agricultural and economic growth. This talent pool is most critical during the months of April thru November. Michigan's MSFWs predominately speak Spanish and have ancestral lineage from Mexico. Most travel to Michigan from the states of Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico. In the northeast part of the state, there’s been an increase in H-2A Visa workers from Haiti and Jamaica. In the northwest part of the state, there’s been an increase in workers from the Ukraine. Other key characteristics of this workforce are speed, stamina, endurance and adaptability as workers move seamlessly from one crop activity to another. Their abilities and work ethic continue to support Michigan’s effort to compete globally in the agricultural marketplace.
Based on data obtained from the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Michigan Rotational Survey for 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) Office of Foreign Labor Certification, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), and the State’s One Stop Management Information System (OSMIS), we estimate that there are approximately 46,000 MSFWs during peak season and 10,000 MSFWs during Non-peak season. In Program Year 2018, MDARD licensed migrant farmworker housing with a capacity of approximately 26,000. The state estimates there are an additional 20,000 seasonal farm workers. Table 5 below identifies the states peak and non-peak season and provides estimates of migrant and seasonal farm workers engaged in agricultural employment.
Limitations or needs for this labor force continue to be the seasonality of the work, English language proficiency, access to health care benefits, access to grower housing and/or affordable housing, and lastly to feel safe in the communities where they gather, live, and work. Once the migrant workers and their families reach Michigan, some are in need of food and shelter, childcare, work clothing, assistance with basic transportation needs such as tires for their vehicles, and gas to get to a job since many spent their limited funds driving to Michigan for work. All of these factors impact the availability of a reliable labor pool. During the season, MSFW outreach workers attempt to resolve many of these issues to ensure that this workforce can work with as few worries as possible. While MSFWs are working in Michigan, MSFW outreach workers provide direct assistance or refer the MSFW to a partnering agency to remove barriers that they encounter.