What is the difference between seasonal and migrant farmworkers?
Farmworkers are typically either seasonal workers employed in agricultural work in their area during harvests, or they are migrant workers that travel long distances from a home base, often outside the country, to work one or more agricultural jobs for a portion of the year. By definition, a migrant farmworker is an individual “whose principle employment is seasonal agriculture and who travels and lives in temporary housing.” Nearly 40% of migrant workers are “shuttle migrants”,; who shuttle from their residence to do work in one area of the US. “Follow-the crop” migrants move with the crops and account for approximately 17% of the migrant population. Most migrant workers are foreign-born. By definition, a seasonal farmworker is an individual “whose principle employment is agricultural labor but who is a permanent resident of a community and does not move into temporary housing when employed in farm work.” The majority of seasonal farmworkers are US born.
