News

Low unemployment rate could create additional ag labor challenges

A livestock market analyst says unemployment is at a 16-year low and that could cause labor issues as the new pork processing plants come online.

University of Missouri’s Scott Brown says unemployment rates continue to decline and finding skilled labor capable of running the new large pork processing facilities is becoming more of a challenge. “It’s more than just building a structure and then the hogs run through it by themselves,” he says.  “You’ve got to have labor along the way on that chain to make sure we process those hogs into pork.”

Brown uses Iowa as an example – a state with an unemployment rate just over 3 percent. He tells Brownfield that can hinder the facilities ability to reach full processing capacity quickly.

“If I’m in a pork processing facility and I have to find new labor – I’m going to have to compete pretty hard against some of the other opportunities the labor supply in Iowa may have,” he says.

Brown says migrant labor is often a good alternative when there isn’t enough domestic supply of workers available.  “Yet if we’re going to put constraints on who can flow into some of these communities – in terms of immigration or the ability of migrant laborers to move in – we make it that much tougher to fill those positions,” he says.

Add Comment

Your email address will not be published.


 

Stay Up to Date

Subscribe for our newsletter today and receive relevant news straight to your inbox!