Are Immigrants Taking Farm Jobs From US Citizens? In NC, Farmers Say No. (The News & Observer)

From the article:

A 2013 study by the Center for Global Development analyzed more than a decade’s worth of data from North Carolina farms and found that “no matter how bad the economy becomes, native workers do not take farm jobs.”

In 2011, the state had about 489,000 unemployed residents and roughly 6,500 available jobs in agriculture through the North Carolina Growers Association, the biggest employer of H-2A workers in the United States. Only 268 U.S. natives applied, and 163 showed up for the first day of work. More than half quit by the end of the first month, and only seven people completed the growing season.

In contrast, 90 percent of all Mexican farm workers hired through the Growers Association in 2011 remained through the end of the season.

Read full article here.