According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service, there were 30,000 farm labor workers hired directly by farmers in the Southeast, including Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, during the week of April 10-16. Florida producers hired 28,000 during the same timeframe.
Southeast farm operators paid hired farm labor workers an average gross wage rate of $13.76 per hour. The number of gross hours worked averaged 38.5 for hired workers, a decrease of 1.1 hours from April 2021. Florida farmers paid an average gross wage rate of $14.61, up from $13.37 in April 2021. The number of gross hours worked was an average of 43.0 hours during the April reference week.
During the Jan. 9-15 timeframe, Southeast farmers hired 21,000 farm labor workers with an average gross wage rate of $14.10 per hour. The number of gross hours worked averaged 37.8 for hired workers, compared to 38.6 hours in January 2021.
There were 27,000 workers hired directly by Florida farm operators during the January reference week. Farmers paid their hired workers an average gross wage rate of $14.48 per hour, up from $12.98 in January 2021. The number of gross hours worked averaged 41.2 for hired workers during the reference week.
