Mexican sending region and workplace experience

A preliminary study of agricultural guestworkers in Ohio

Abstract

This article shares the results of a 2022 survey of male, Mexican H-2A workers in Ohio (n = 267). We describe the demographic profile of this population, including age, years of experience in the program, education level, marital status, and Mexican sending state. We then examine the relationship between sending regions of Mexico and certain workplace outcomes, specifically likelihood of working for a foreign labor contrac­tor, subsector of H-2A labor, and risk of being charged to participate in the program. Findings include a higher risk of predatory recruitment prac­tices for men from Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Guerrero, and a funneling effect towards agriculture (as op­posed to nurseries) for those same states. Intended as exploratory research, the results lay the ground­work for similar projects in other states and suggest a place-based approach for developing improve­ments to the H-2A program.