This week, the USDA released results from the Farm Labor Survey.  The Farm Labor Survey (FLS) is used to calculate the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) for field and livestock worker occupations (SOC codes: 45-2041, 45-2091, 45-2092, 45-2093, 53-7064, 45-2099). 

The results indicate that California employers can expect to see the AEWR increase from $19.75 to $19.97 per hour. The AEWR paid by Arizona and New Mexico H-2A employers will rise to $17.04, up from $16.32 per hour. Colorado and Nevada H-2A workers will see a jump in pay to $17.84, an increase from the current $16.63 per hour.  

These rates will become official pending publication in the federal register. As seen in the chart below, the coming increase continues the trend of year-over-year AEWR increases in states where Western Growers members typically employ H-2A workers.

Western Growers is actively exploring all potential avenues to ensure stability within the H-2A program. Specialty crop producers are particularly vulnerable to wage increases, as they heavily depend on skilled manual labor. The ongoing rise in AEWR rates puts Western Growers members at a competitive disadvantage compared to their foreign counterparts.