International Migrants Day

In 2000, the United Nations declared December 18 International Migrants Day. As we observe this year’s International Migrants Day, we reflect on the profound influence migration exerts on diverse aspects of labor markets globally. Transcending geographical boundaries, the movement of individuals shapes the labor market of every industry, from high-tech manufacturing to harvesting crops. This day invites us to contemplate the intricate connections between international migration and prosperity to remind ourselves of the ways in which people from all corners of the earth contribute to the United States’ ever-evolving labor force and continuing economic dynamism.

The exploration of economic growth, initiated by Moses Abramovitz and Robert Solow in the 1950s, unveiled innovation as the predominant force propelling sustained economic development. Recent empirical research reveals the significant influence of immigrants on U.S. innovation: immigrants have contributed 30% of U.S. patents and hold 38% of U.S. Nobel Prizes. A study by economists at Stanford estimates that, since 1976, 30% of U.S. innovation stems directly from international migrants, while an additional 60% is attributed to their indirect contributions. Moreover, the National Foundation for American Policy reports that 55% of billion-dollar startups in the United States have been initiated by immigrants.

Beyond driving technological advancement in the United States, immigrants form the backbone of the seasonal labor force on which the nation's farmers depend to harvest their crops. According to 2021 estimates from the USDA Economic Research Service, agriculture, food, and related industries contributed approximately $1.3 trillion to the U.S. GDP, about 5.4% of total economic output. Since the early 20th century, international migrants, primarily from Mexico, have played a crucial role in U.S. agricultural production. Drawn by the promise of better job opportunities and higher pay in the United States, farmworkers carry out strenuous fieldwork requiring physical endurance and resilience, work that many domestic U.S. workers opt to avoid. 

JBS administers one of the most important government surveys for measuring and understanding the farm labor supply, including the immigrants who help put food on Americans’ tables. Since 1989, JBS has conducted the National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS), surveying over 74,000 crop workers across the lower 48 states. JBS uses a multistage sampling design, stratified by season and geography, to ensure each year’s sample of crop workers is representative of the crop labor force in the United States.

Like U.S. innovation, international migrants make substantial contributions to the nation’s food system. Analysis of NAWS data collected between 2018 and 2022 shows that 69% of crop workers in the United States are foreign born, with 91% of those born in Mexico and another 7% born in Central America. Over this period, the average foreign-born crop worker supplied 230 days of crop work, while the average U.S.-born crop worker supplied 173 days. Overall, foreign-born crop workers supplied 75% of all crop workdays in this period. The agricultural sector, however, faces several challenging headwinds that increasingly hinder farmers from securing the workforce they need for harvest.

In the last decade, agricultural economists observed that several trends tightened the U.S. farm labor supply. Mexican immigration hit a historic low due to improved opportunities within Mexico, changing the economic options for the primary source of new crop workers. Existing crop workers in the United States are also less willing to migrate for farm work and prefer to settle into their communities. The proportion of new workers in the crop labor force decreased from 1 in 3 (1998–2001) to 1 in 6 (2018–2022). In the latter period, only 42% of new workers were foreign born, a stark contrast to 90% of new workers between 1998 and 2001.

As we commemorate International Migrants Day, let us not only recognize the immense contributions of immigrants to innovation and agriculture; let us also acknowledge the evolving landscape of farm labor and the need for thoughtful policies to ensure a sustainable and vibrant future for both the U.S. economy and its diverse workforce. In doing so, we honor the legacy of those who have shaped the nation's prosperity and lain the foundation for a productive and resilient labor force in both the present and the years to come.