About Migration Dialogue
Migration Dialogue provides timely, factual and nonpartisan information and analysis of international migration issues through five major activities: the newsletters Migration News and Rural Migration News, Changing Face and other Research & Seminars, and the Sloan West Coast Program on Science and Engineering Workers.
Contact us at migrant@primal.ucdavis.edu.
Rural Migration Blog: H-2As: 5 States had 50% H-2A Jobs in FY23
The US Department of Labor (DOL) certified 378,000 seasonal farm jobs to be filled by H-2A workers in FY23, up two percent from 372,000 in FY22. DOL received almost 21,000 applications from about 13,000 unique employers, reflecting the fact that some farm employers file multiple applications. The average number of jobs certified per application was 20.
The top five H-2A states, FL, CA, GA, WA, and NC, each had 25,000 to 50,000 jobs certified and collectively accounted for half of all H-2A jobs certified. The number of certified jobs rose by two percent among the top five states, from 188,000 to 192,000, but rose fastest in GA and WA, up eight percent, and fell seven percent in CA.
The top 5 states had half of the 378,000 H-2A job certifications in FY23
State | Certified Positions |
---|---|
Alabama | 2,141 |
Alaska | 57 |
Arizona | 11,301 |
Arkansas | 6,995 |
California | 40,758 |
Colorado | 4,482 |
Connecticut | 1,422 |
Delaware | 865 |
Florida | 51,987 |
Georgia | 37,536 |
Hawaii | 0 |
Idaho | 7,270 |
Illinois | 4,809 |
Indiana | 4,954 |
Iowa | 5,678 |
Kansas | 2,226 |
Kentucky | 7,892 |
Louisiana | 13,167 |
Maine | 0 |
Maryland | 1,478 |
Massachusetts | 0 |
Michigan | 15,094 |
Minnesota | 3,781 |
Mississippi | 6,875 |
Missouri | 2,063 |
Montana | 1,695 |
Nebraska | 3,965 |
Nevada | 3,576 |
New Hampshire | 314 |
New Jersey | 2,859 |
New Mexico | 2,192 |
New York | 9,919 |
North Carolina | 26,146 |
North Dakota | 3,489 |
Ohio | 4,378 |
Oklahoma | 1,163 |
Oregon | 4,349 |
Pennsylvania | 3,056 |
Rhode Island | 10 |
South Carolina | 7,522 |
South Dakota | 2,701 |
Tennessee | 6,556 |
Texas | 12,075 |
Utah | 1,908 |
Vermont | 499 |
Virginia | 5,036 |
Washington | 35,680 |
West Virginia | 349 |
Wisconsin | 2,825 |
Wyoming | 685 |
The number of jobs certified rose in 37 states between FY22 and FY23 and fell in 14. The fastest growth was in states with few certifications, including ND, NM, and WV, each up over 20 percent. The largest decline was in AZ, down 18 percent.
State | Percentage Change |
---|---|
Alabama | -1% |
Alaska | 6% |
Arizona | -18% |
Arkansas | 8% |
California | -7% |
Colorado | 9% |
Connecticut | 5% |
Delaware | 6% |
Florida | 2% |
Georgia | 7% |
Hawaii | 0% |
Idaho | 11% |
Illinois | 9% |
Indiana | 6% |
Iowa | 7% |
Kansas | 9% |
Kentucky | 1% |
Louisiana | -4% |
Maine | 3% |
Maryland | -3% |
Massachusetts | 5% |
Michigan | -3% |
Minnesota | 9% |
Mississippi | -3% |
Missouri | 5% |
Montana | 16% |
Nebraska | 18% |
Nevada | 8% |
New Hampshire | 8% |
New Jersey | -9% |
New Mexico | 22% |
New York | 0% |
North Carolina | 2% |
North Dakota | 26% |
Ohio | -1% |
Oklahoma | -8% |
Oregon | 15% |
Pennsylvania | 3% |
Rhode Island | 25% |
South Carolina | -4% |
South Dakota | 2% |
Tennessee | 4% |
Texas | 4% |
Utah | -2% |
Vermont | -4% |
Virginia | -1% |
Washington | 8% |
West Virginia | 22% |
Wisconsin | 7% |
Wyoming | 12% |
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Migration News
Migration News was a monthly and later quarterly summary of the most important migration issues in the US, Europe, and Asia that was produced between 1994 and 2014 with the support of the German Marshall Fund of the United States and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
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Sloan West Coast Program On S&E Workers
The Sloan Program on Science and Engineering Workers supported researchers interested in how affected US workers employed in IT-related occupations between 2007 and 2014 with the support of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
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Changing Face & UFW Contracts
The Changing Face project assessed the effects of immigrant farm workers on agriculture and agricultural communities in California and other states between 1994 and 2016 with the support of the Farm and Rosenberg Foundations.
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Research & Seminars
Migration Dialogue organized seminars for opinion leaders to discuss comparative migration issues between 1993 and 2004 with the support of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.