AGRICULTURE LABOR PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The Agriculture Labor Program was formed in April 2012 and is organized under the Department of Labor's Division of Compliance and Education. It has some similarities to the former Rural Employment Services Program. The Foreign Labor Certification Unit is also organized under the Division of Compliance and Education.
The Agriculture Labor Program includes field staff and supervisors. They are supported by the Foreign Labor Certification Unit, a Communications Specialist and management.
The Agriculture Labor Program's field staff are located throughout the state. They provide job seekers and business customers access to the services available at New York State Career Centers and other services of the Department of Labor. With our dual customer focus, we endeavor to help agricultural employers and agricultural workers be successful.
FARM WORKERS Programs and Services
APPLE AND PEAR SURVEY
Each year, the U.S. Department of Labor requires the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) to conduct a survey of growers of certain crops to obtain information about wages and employment practices from the current year. The U.S. Department of Labor uses the results of these surveys to set agricultural wage rates in New York for the following year. Those rates are published in the USDOL’s Agricultural On-line Wage Library.
For questions or comments regarding the survey, please contact the New York State Department of Labor's Division of Research and Statistics at [email protected] or the Division of Immigrant Policies and Affairs [email protected]. For more information about the New York State Department of Labor's Division of Research and Statistics and employment data available from the division, visit https://dol.ny.gov/labor-data
Outreach
Agricultural Outreach Plans
Among its many duties, the Division of Compliance and Education seeks to locate and contact migrant and seasonal farm workers who are not reached by typical intake activities, such as at local New York State Career Center offices.
The Agricultural Outreach Plan (AOP) is an annual requirement of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act (WIOA). The Department of Labor makes the AOP available each year so that farm workers, agricultural employers, and other stakeholders may access the Agriculture Labor Program's outreach strategy for the year.
The federal Program Year (PY) is July 1 through June 30 each year.
As required by the WIOA, the Department of Labor has produced a modification to our current 4-year plan. The Agricultural Outreach Plan modification is available by selecting the button below. DOCE accepts public comments on the Plan modification every year. If you wish to submit comments, please email them to [email protected] by the due date and time.