🌾Updates to Adverse Effect Wage Rates for H-2A Workers Announced
Labor Certification Process for the Temporary Employment of Foreign Workers in Agriculture in the United States: Adverse Effect Wage Rate Updates for Non-Range Occupations
Summary
The Employment and Training Administration of the Department of Labor (DOL) is issuing this notice to announce updates to the Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWR) for the employment of temporary or seasonal nonimmigrant foreign workers (H-2A workers) to perform agricultural labor or services other than the herding or production of livestock on the range. AEWRs are the minimum wage rates DOL has determined must be offered, advertised in recruitment, and paid by employers to H-2A workers and workers in corresponding employment so that the wages and working conditions of workers in the United States (U.S.) similarly employed will not be adversely affected. In this notice, DOL announces the AEWRs based on wage data reported by DOL's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. The AEWRs established in this notice are applicable to H-2A job opportunities classified: (1) in Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes other than the six SOC codes comprising the field and livestock workers (combined) group, and (2) in the field and livestock workers (combined) occupational group that are located in States or regions, or equivalent districts or territories, for which the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Farm Labor Report (better known as the Farm Labor Survey, or FLS) does not report a wage.
Agencies
- Labor Department
- Employment and Training Administration
Business Impact
$$$ - High
The text outlines updates to Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWR) for H-2A workers in agriculture, establishing minimum wage compliance for employers. It emphasizes regulatory requirements tied to labor certification, impacting hiring practices for foreign workers. Compliance with wage rate updates will affect operational costs for agricultural employers.