The Migrant Worker Today

There has been a tendency recently to center attention on specific social, educational, moral and welfare problems of the migratory worker. This approach sometimes has the effect of examining as iso? lated problems such important aspects of the subject as food, housing, health, transportation, family life, child labor and schooling, voting rights, social insurance, protective labor legislation and employer-em? ployee relations. It is not my intent to minimize the seriousness of these problems although I do believe that some progress is being made espe? cially in improving housing, food and transportation for migrant work? ers. It appears to me, however, that special attention should be given to the characteristics of the overall economic environment and institu? tions which influence all the parties involved in the migratory labor market. Another advantage of a broad economic analysis is that greater emphasis is given to the elements that directly influence the wage factor which is the basic problem, underlying all others, in relation to a long run solution. It is my purpose, therefore, to limit my discussion in this paper to the economic institutional setting of the migrant worker today. The Farm Labor Market The farm labor market is the basic institution to be considered from an economic point of view. The farm labor market is more extensive and not as easily distinguishable as the ordinary labor market which usually consists of a metropolitan area and its immediate vicinity. There are several major patterns of movement among migrants from one agricultural area to another which might be considered to form broad outlines of labor market areas. The Atlantic Coast movement

Business · Demographic economics · Economic growth · Economics · Enforcement · Labor relations · Labour economics · Legislation · Metropolitan area · Migrant workers · Political science · Seriousness · Sociology · Wage · Migration and Labor Dynamics · Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy