"Growers are facing significant labor constraints and current policies need reform"

The survey collected information about the prevalence of horticultural industry workforce shortages, how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted farming operations, and the extent to which labor-saving technologies are helping mitigate the problem. Responses came from a broad sample of greenhouse and nursery operations spanning the entire United States. “According to our survey results, the green industry is grappling with a workforce shortage problem. Despite making expensive technology investments and changes to production and labor management practices to deal with the issue, growers reported ongoing employee shortages and a significant need for a year-round H-2A visa program,” said Dr. Zachariah Rutledge, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics at Michigan State University.

• Nearly two thirds of survey respondents indicated that they were unable to hire all the employees they wanted during 2021. The average workforce shortage across the sample was nearly 20% of the workforce that growers needed to operate at full capacity.
• About 62% of growers indicated that COVID-19 caused them to experience additional workforce shortages in 2021.
• Nearly half of the surveyed growers started using a new labor-saving technology during 2021. Of those who did, 50% reported spending at least $100,000 on it.
• Thirty five percent of the growers surveyed used the H-2A program in 2021. Half of those who used the program reported struggling to fill non-seasonal jobs that do not currently qualify for H-2A, revealing a significant need for a year-round or long-term agricultural guest worker program.
• Survey respondents offered a variety of work incentives to help attract and retain employees, including health insurance, bonuses, and scheduling flexibility.