NASDA is committed to working with the federal government, private industry and academia to identify and address agricultural workforce challenges.
By 2026, nearly 25 percent of the U.S. workforce will be aged 55 and older (Bureau of Labor Statistics). The agricultural and food sectors are comprised of more than 21 million full and part-time jobs, and that number continues to rise annually (USDA Economic Research Service). This means that in less than nine years more than 5.35 million jobs will be available and necessary to fill in the agricultural and food sectors.
NASDA strives to highlight the importance of supporting a stable agricultural workforce during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the ongoing global pandemic fiscal year 2021 was a record-breaking year for the H-2A program. On a fiscal year-over-fiscal year basis, the total number of certified positions increased 15.3 percent in 2021 relative to 2020. This is the right trend.
