Estimating Farmworker Population Size in New York State Using a Minimum Labor Demand Method

Details

• Personal Author:
  Earle-Richardson G ; Jenkins PL ; Larson A ; May JJ ; Sorensen JA ; Stack S
• Description:
  Assessment of health needs and services for hand-harvest farmworkers requires reliable population estimates. In New York State, the only publicly available source for these is the Department of Labor (DOL). However, published production data exist that may enable estimation of minimum labor demand (MLD) for hand-harvest labor. Our objective was to develop an estimation process for minimum labor demand (MLD) for hand-harvested crops in NYS and contrast the results with DOL estimates. Four crop strata (below ground, ground, bush/vine, and orchard) were identified. MLD (measured in worker-seasons) was estimated by dividing the total annual harvest hours required for each crop stratum by the total hours worked by one worker in a season for that crop stratum. The MLD estimate of the total number of worker seasons combined for all strata (14,121) was higher than that of the DOL (8,230). Harvest acreage was unavailable for 21% of the 991 county-crop combinations studied; therefore, data were imputed from other sources. Within these strata, the greatest difference was found for ground crops, where the DOL count was 28% of the size of the MLD estimate. DOL and MLD estimates were closest in orchard crops (DOL 109% of MLD). Publicly available data provide a potentially valuable source of information for estimation of the MLD. Use of these methods implies that the DOL may substantially underestimate the size of this population. Differences seen between the two methods were sensitive to the crop type. County-level farm surveys to verify MLD estimation factors would enhance the method's accuracy. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Demography Emigration And Immigration Farmers Food-Processing Industry Food Handling Food Industry Geographic Information Systems Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Occupational Health Safety

  More +
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Industry Agricultural Workers Analytical Methods Analytical Processes Author Keywords: Farmworker Estimates Data Processing Demographic Characteristics Employees Food Handlers Food Processing Workers Foodstuff Geographic Distribution Geographic Information Systems Health Care Facilities Health Services Information Processing Information Systems Job Analysis Migrant Farmworkers Migrant Workers Occupations Seasonal Farmworkers Seasonal Workers Special Populations Temporary Workers Workers Workforce Development

  More +
• ISSN:
  1074-7583
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 2 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  335-345
• Volume:
  11
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20051439
• Citation:
  J Agric Saf Health 2005 Aug; 11(3):335-345
• Contact Point Address:
  Giulia Earle-Richardson, New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health, Bassett Healthcare, One Atwell Rd., Cooperstown, NY 13326
• Email:
  gearlerichardson@nycamh.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2005
• Performing Organization:
  Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital, Cooperstown, New York
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20270831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3ba36e248cd63ff9c7489eee21d5c9ad39f70c322458f3fa651c168fafaa1ba6bbce73e13fd6bdf9695a32506e6e190a889d0f41242e3081b6353ca04df0e84d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/211398/cdc_211398_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 89.62 KB ]