Agricultural & Foreign Labor Services June News and Highlights

The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity’s Agricultural Employment Services team in southwest Michigan is preparing to welcome farmworkers for the seventh consecutive year. The Welcome Farmworker to Michigan Event will be on Saturday, June 28, 2025, from 12-4 p.m. at the Van Buren Youth Fairgrounds (55670 CR 681 Hartford, MI 49057).

Agricultural Employment Liaisons (AELs) have been working to make this year’s event memorable for high number of expected Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers (MSFWs) and their family members who are expected to attend.

There will be many different community partner agencies onsite providing employment and training information education resources, healthcare services, free haircuts, prizes, food distribution and more! 

A special thanks to the Pokagon Fund for their contribution to the farmworker community of Hartford and surrounding areas.

Come and join us for an informational and fun afternoon. Register to attend here.

For more information regarding this event and services that will be provided, contact Elizbia Xaxni-Capula at XaxniCapulaE@michigan.gov or by calling at 269-486-9757 or Clarikssa Mejia at MejiaC1@michigan.gov or by calling at 269-716-7670.

Are you an Agricultural Employer looking for assistance posting job openings on Pure Michigan Talent Connect (Mitalent.org), interpretation services between Spanish-speaking job seekers and you, locating workers using the Agricultural Recruitment System, or locating resourceful information for your 2025 agricultural season?

We encourage you to contact your local Michigan Works! Service Center or the closest AEL in your region. Find your local Michigan Works! at Michigan.gov/MichiganWorks. 

The Registered Apprenticeship training model has gained momentum as a cost-effective talent development tool. The flexibility for an employer to design an apprenticeship program offers a consistent way to recruit, train and retain talent.

Employers train and retain talent to their own standards. Unlike traditional postsecondary education programs — which are designed to prepare students for any number of career pathways — Registered Apprenticeships are designed BY and FOR the employer with a specialized focus on the unique needs of a specific job.

Today, Registered Apprenticeships are expanding across both traditional and nontraditional industries into more than 1,200 occupations. Registered Apprenticeship Programs reduce turnover rates, increase productivity, lower the cost of recruitment and prioritize safety.

Prepare for tomorrow by introducing new skills and valuable experience in the workplace today. Learn more about how you can train your workforce with the skills you need at Michigan.gov/Apprenticeship.

Discover seasonal jobs or temporary jobs

SeasonalJobs.dol.gov is an online platform that links people to seasonal and temporary employment opportunities throughout the United States.

Whether you’re looking for seasonal work or require a short-term job, the website assists you in finding suitable employment.

Explore in-demand jobs using Michigan's Hot 50 Job Outlook

Michigan's Hot 50 Job Outlook highlights high-demand, high-wage careers that show a favorable mix of projected long-term job growth, projected annual job openings, and median wages through 2032.

Explore the Hot 50 Job Outlook to discover the expected number of annual openings, pay range and education requirement for each career.

In May, Janet Garcia-Hobbs, Program Manager of the Office of Foreign Labor Services, was invited to speak at the 2025 Preconference hosted by the Southwestern Michigan Migrant Council. Janet participated in an employment panel alongside other representatives from both state and federal Wage and Hour Divisions.

The panel sessions focused on key topics concerning H-2A farmworkers, as well as federal and Michigan state employment laws, regulations and essential worker protections employers are required to follow.

In addition to her contributions on the panel, Janet delivered a presentation on the Agricultural and Foreign Labor Services' H-2A and H-2B Temporary Worker Certification Programs and provided insights into the National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP).

To learn more about the NFJP’s Career and Training Services, as well as Housing Assistance programs, please visit our website.

In May, the National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP) hosted its very first Meet & Greet and Q&A session. The event featured a brief presentation on the NFJP, followed by a Q&A focused on program implementation and service delivery.

The NFJP team is currently preparing the Q&A summary, session recording and related materials, which will be shared soon.

As the NFJP continues its soft launch, efforts are underway to hire key staff, build strong partnerships and ensure a people-centered approach to service delivery. Any questions concerning the NFJP program can be emailed to LEO-NFJP@michigan.gov.

For over 40 years, outreach workers and Monitor Advocates have provided important support to U.S. agricultural workers and employers throughout the country. The Monitor Advocate System is a federal/state monitoring system that ensures migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSFW) have equitable access to career services, skill development and workforce protections offered by American Job Centers (Michigan Works! Service Centers in Michigan), so they may improve their living and working conditions.

Each state workforce agency has a State Monitor Advocate (SMA) who reviews state MSFW services on an ongoing basis. At the federal level, ETA regional offices have Regional Monitor Advocates, who provide support to SMAs, and one National Monitor Advocate, who oversees the entire system. 

Michigan is one of ten states in region 5 and has the highest number of MSFW outreach workers in the region. At the end of the current program year over 4,500 MSFWs have been registered for services at their local Michigan Works! Service Center, with nearly 90% of them being registered by AEL staff. Michigan continues to lead the region in the number of MSFWs needed to harvest the large number of different types of crops grown – there are approximately 68,000 MSFWs in the state at peak harvest season!

Learn more about the State Monitor Advocate system here.