California Farm Jobs Remarkably Stable in Down Economy

Written by Bruce Goldstein Monday, 22 February 2010 15:39

The Los Angeles Times reports that the number of California agricultural jobs declined only by half a percent despite large percentage declines of employment in other California industries in the last year. Water shortages on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley did reduce employment in that area. But initial estimates of large numbers (80,000) of lost jobs due to water-shortage losses proved incorrect (the number was about 21,000).

So, the LA Times in an article concludes, "crop and labor statistics for 2009 belie the image of a withering farm economy teetering on the edge of collapse."

The article reports that there is still high unemployment in many of these rural California areas, however, especially since many laid-off construction workers returned to the fields to find work. 

 

< Prev		Next >