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 Louisiana MSFWs population demographics are black, white, and Hispanic. The Hispanic population has the most difficulties assessing and coordinating services due to the language barrier and mistrust in government entities. Immigrants from Mexico or Central America and their descendants are found in the agricultural industry and most of them will not agree to visit the American Job Centers of fear that relatives or friends might be exposed to immigration authorities.
Agricultural Employers (AGERS) continually express that there seem to be fewer U.S. workers to help with the planting, cultivation and harvesting of crops in the state, and are increasingly turning to the H–2A Temporary Agricultural Worker Program to meet the need for a stable workforce. AGERs are concerned that various factors such as 1) the aging of the workforce, 2) a younger generation that chooses not to follow in their parents’ paths, but instead pursue higher education, and 3) jobs in the manufacturing sector, food service, and construction opportunities may diminish the availability of agricultural workers. The alternative option for the future of Louisiana’s agricultural workforce is the growing use of the H–2A program, which allows agricultural employers to bring temporary workers from foreign countries to plant, cultivate and harvest the crops. Louisiana’s longstanding goal has been and will continue to be connecting domestic migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSFWs) with agricultural employers as appropriate.
The State agricultural workforce is considered more of a seasonal nature. The weather in Louisiana allows for planting, cultivation and harvesting year-round.
The State of Louisiana domestic migrant agricultural workers identified and reported in the past 4 years have been in the single digits and coming from the State of Texas.
Louisiana’s labor certification process for temporary agricultural employment in the U.S. continues to expand. More AGERs are turning to the H-2A program in order to find and maintain a secure labor force that will be able to plant, cultivate and harvest the agricultural commodities in the state.
