Employment Security estimates that average annual employment for farmworkers in Washington state (2016) was 97,068. Additional services are available through WorkSource's Washington Farmworker Services.
The department is committed to working with Washington's agricultural employers and farm workers by managing the agricultural service program. Through this program, specialized staff are located in offices that serve a 21-county region to help agricultural employers find skilled and qualified workers in a timely manner while also helping workers connect with employment and community resources.
ESD has nine 'significant' Migrant Seasonal Farmworker (MSFW) WorkSource offices, defined by the USDOL as offices where at least 10 percent of its customers are MSFWs. Each significant MSFW office employs full-time, year-round, bilingual staff to conduct outreach to MSFWs.
In addition, the Employment Security Department assists with the federal Foreign Labor Certification H-2A program, which allows agricultural employers to bring foreign workers temporarily, when not enough qualified U.S. workers are available.
Reporters may contact media@esd.wa.gov.