California has 882,000 farmworkers to fill 413,000 jobs

Abstract

California’s agricultural employers hired an average of 413,000 workers between 2018 and 2021 and reported an average of 882,000 farmworkers during these years, a ratio of 2.1 workers for each job. Average agricultural employment has been relatively stable since 2000, while the number of workers reported by agricultural employers declined. Despite concerns about farm labor shortages, the data show a relatively stable pool of farmworkers, including a rising share who are brought to farms by farm labor contractors.