Migrant & Seasonal

Farmworkers(MSFW): Barriers to

Employment

Lorraine Faulds, CDF Candidate

Photo by Rodrigo Cruz

Photo by Gosia Wozniacka

The stereotypical MSFW

•Here illegally

•Can’t speak English

•Hard workers

•Send most of their money home

•Will work for the lowest wages

Photo by Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images

Who Are MSFWs?

•Seasonal Farmworker•Migrant Farmworker•Migrant Food Processing Worker

•Worked on a farm during a planting/harvest season or in a food-processing business•“Migrant” means had to travel to get there and is not able to return to permanent residence on the same day•Also have industry, time frame, income requirements

•In SC… Most are in Charleston, Clarendon,

and Colleton counties 72% are Hispanic or Latino Most are male Most are 22-44 years old

Photo by Scott Robinson

Barriers for MFSWs

Language

74% of Latino adults in SC speak English “less than very well”--also called having Limited English Proficiency (LEP)

Highest percentage in the Southeast region

LEP affects healthcare, legal issues, employment, and education

Photo by Rainer Ehrhardt

Barriers for MSFWs

Education

41% of all Latinos in SC do NOT have a high school diploma or GED

Of those MSFWs registered in SCWOS, only 11% have a high school diploma

Over 34% have only a 6th or 7th grade education!

Photo by Bread for the World

Barriers for MSFWs

Low Wages

Most Hispanics in agriculture work in:•Animal Slaughtering/Processing•Landscaping Services•Crop Production

Family income averaged between $15,000 and $17,499 per year (US).

These are very low-paying jobs in SC:•Slaughterers & Meatpackers $23,390•Landscaping Workers: $21,000•Farmworkers: $18,460

Without more education, this will continue.

A final thought:

The children…

•300,000-400,000 children are employed as farmworkers (US)

•Often work 10 or more hours a day with sharp tools, heavy machinery, and dangerous pesticides

•Die at 4 times the rate of other working youth

•Farmworker children drop out of school in alarming numbers

•A short 8-minute video showing the life a child farmworker: http://latinalista.com/2013/11/viernes-video-bone

Photo from “The Harvest” directed by Roberto Ramano