By Shelby Rensing
Hiring the right people these days feels like navigating a maze without a map. The challenge isn’t just finding qualifications on paper, but rather it’s uncovering the intangibles that define a perfect fit.
With talent in high demand and competition fierce, sifting through applications can feel daunting. It’s a balancing act of assessing experience, potential and alignment with company values. As an industry, we are facing unprecedented times.
The agricultural labor market is facing a multitude of challenges that affect the entire industry. Both domestic and international factors are contributing to a complex labor environment, making it crucial for producers to stay informed and prepared.
The agricultural sector heavily relies on both domestic and international labor. According to recent statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:
• Approximately 73% of all farmworkers in the U.S. are foreign-born, with a significant portion coming from Mexico and Central America.
• The remaining 27% are U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
This heavy reliance on international labor underscores the vulnerability of the agriculture industry as it navigates through changes in immigration policy or shifts in international relationships. As producers, we’ve experienced the impact of this by seeing a disruption to labor supply and increased production costs.
One of our greatest challenges today is the hiring of international workers. As an example, the TN Visa program (Trade NAFTA - which stands for the North American Free Trade Agreement, also known as USMCA) is a more commonly utilized non-immigrant work visa that allows citizens of Mexico and Canada to work in the U.S. in prearranged business activities.
Within the last 12 months, there has been a significant increase in TN Visa denials for agricultural workers from Mexico due to heightened scrutiny and stricter enforcement policies. Most pork producers within the U.S. experience anywhere from 50% to 80% denial rates. That’s not good.
We are incredibly grateful for our industry advocates like the National Pork Producers Council who continue working diligently with producers across the country to protect their workforce.
Nevertheless, it is essential for producers and human resources professionals to stay several steps ahead and develop proactive strategies to mitigate labor shortages and ensure a stable workforce for the next year. By understanding the current landscape, we can navigate these difficulties by ensuring diversified recruitment practices are in place, leveraging our peers in the industry (it’s a small world, we can help one other!), and staying on top of changes in immigration policy and employment practices.
In short, let’s work to stay informed, be prepared, and work together to secure a sustainable future for agriculture.
Shelby Rensing is the human resources manager for The Maschhoffs.
Read More:
The Pros and Cons of Visa Worker Programs
Attract and Retain Workers: What the Pork Industry Needs to Do Now
