Detalles del documento

Imprima y guarde

Artículo de periódico

Local Produce, Foreign Labor: Labor Mobility Programs and Global Trade Competitiveness in Canada

Fecha

2007

Autores

Kerry L. Preibisch

Resumen

This paper examines the incorporation of foreign workers in Canadian horticulture under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP). I argue that foreign labor supplied under the SAWP secures a flexible workforce for employers and thus improves Canada's trade competitiveness in the global agrifood market. Using multiple research strategies, I track the evolution of Canadian horticulture in the global market and the transformation of labor in this industry. I outline the steady growth in the employment of temporary visa workers in the horticultural industry and show how they have become the preferred and, in some cases, core workforce for horticulture operations.The benefits of SAWP workers to employers include the provision of a workforce with limited rights relative to domestic workers and considerable administrative support in selecting, dispatching, and disciplining workers provided at no cost by labor supply countries. I conclude that the SAWP is a noteworthy example of the role of immigration policy in regulating the labor markets of high-income economies and thus ensuring the position of labor-receiving states within the global political economy.

Journal title

Rural Sociology

Volumen

72

Número

3

Page numbers

418-449

Archivos adjuntos

Conexiones

Los sectores económicos

Agriculture and horticulture workers

Tipos de contenido

Análisis de políticas

Los grupos destinatarios

Los investigadores

Relevancia geográfica

National relevance

Esferas de la actividad

Ciencias Políticas y Socioligie

Idiomas

Inglés