Motivations of Mexican Workers to Participate in Canada’s Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program:...
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Motivations of Mexican Workers to Participate in Canada’s Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program: An Empirical Analysis Lidia Carvajal (UAEM-México) [email protected]
Motivations of Mexican Workers to Participate in Canadas
Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program: An Empirical Analysis Lidia
Carvajal (UAEM-Mxico) [email protected] Judith Stallmann
(MU-USA) [email protected] The authors would like to thank
the Mexican Consulate in Toronto and the United Farm Workers in
America for support in conducting the survey.
Slide 2
Outline Introduction Research Project Objectives (3) Framework:
(Literature review) Overview of CSAWP Research design Motivations
to participate in CSAWP Regression model and
results/conclusions
Slide 3
Changing fortunes of Mexican agricultural sector Support
industrialization in the 40s but left behind Crisis of the 1960s up
to now Declining farm income & Declining demand for Ag.
employment International migration appears as an escape valve
(skilled and non skilled workers + government: CSAWP)
Introduction
Slide 4
Research Project Objectives (3) Remittances (not the focus of
this paper): Estimate the value of the remittances How remittances
ate used and the economic multiplier effects they have in their
communities Impact on farm activities in Mexico (not the focus of
this paper) Motivations: Learn the motivations for participation.
How do the regional, individual and family characteristics of
participants influence their motivations?
Slide 5
Framework Off-farm work to increase income (dual job- holding)
Off-farm income as a diversification strategy for family income.
Literature beginning in 1930s in US; 1980s another burst of
research. Migration within the country or to another country is a
diversification strategy Income stabilization Probability of
finding a job combined with higher wage. Canada program guarantees
job. (Migration literature) Migration as a social insurance
substitute, particularly with structural adjustment (Sana &
Massey, 2000)
Slide 6
StudyFactor/reason Technique/ instrument Origin-Destination
1.Income/Job/ Education Stark and Taylor, 1989 Massey and Espinosa,
1997; Stark and Taylor, 1991 Taylor 1987 Wage differential (+)
Relative deprivation in absence of migration (+) Migration networks
and experience (+) Age 2 (-: life cycle, resettle) Size of family
(+) Number of schooling years on legal (-)*** and illegal migration
(-) Expected absolute income gains (+) Probit model Multinomial
logit Probit model Mexico-US (Ptzcuaro, Mich) Mexico-US Motivations
for Migration (literature review I)
Slide 7
StudyFactor/reason Technique/ instrument Origin-Destination
2.Security Needs Sana and Massey, 2000 Roberts et al., 1999 Social
security system Kinship and friendship Interviews In-depth
interviews Mexico-US Mexico City-US 3. Networks Yunez-Naude, 2001
Massey and Garcia- Espaa, 1987 Family members in the US on
international (+)*** and national (-)* migration Have a migrant
relative in the destination country (+)*** Have migrants from the
same community in the destination country (+)*** Probit regression
Logistic regression Mexico-US (Jal. Mich., Pue., Coah) Mexico-US
(IMSS survey) Motivations for Migration (literature review II)
Slide 8
Why Mexico Cooperates with Canada Off-farm income represents
around 50% of farm household income Also true for the ejido sector
Remittances are around 60% of income for 10% of Mexican farm
households Remittances are 85% or more of local income in some
rural communities Mexicos objectives: Increase employment and
family income Increase farming skills of participants
Slide 9
CSAWP Overview Established and designed to supply temporary
foreign workers to agricultural producers in Canada Started with
the Caribbean Commonwealth countries in 1966 Canada and Mexico
signed Memorandum of Understanding starting with 203 men in 1974 In
2013 there were 18,499 Mexican workers in the program
Slide 10
Mexican Agricultural Workers Participating in CSAWP The Program
has had a quantitative increase of approximately 73 %, between 2005
and 2013 (MLSW,2013). MLSW,2013
Slide 11
Agricultural skills Education: 3 years minimum; 12 maximum Age:
Male 22-45/Female 23-40 Civil status: male married with
children/female with children Healthy Selection Criteria for CSAWP
in Mexico
Slide 12
CSAWP Operation in Canada Employers must comply the Canadians
first policy. Canadian farmers submit their labour requests through
FARMS which in turn sends the list to the MLSW in Mexico The
employer agrees to: Hire the worker for a term no less than 240 hrs
in six weeks and up to 8 months Provide suitable free accommodation
Pay a portion of the cost of the flight, other ground
transportation and visa fees
Research Design Secondary data (scarse) In-depth interviews
Survey: - 257 personal interviews with Mexican agricultural workers
in Southern Ontario. - 76% located in Simcoe, Leamington, Halton,
Hamilton and Bradford; - Remaining 24% in other six locations
(Oakville, Georgetown, York, Toronto and Niagara)
Slide 15
Southern Ontario
Slide 16
Data collection Survey 257 Mexican guest farm-workers in
Southern Ontario in 2006. Guest worker support centers and then
visited at their place of work. Snowball technique to indentify
others. Demographics Motivationsimportance ranked on a 5-point
Likert Scale Some motivations are captured with more than one
question for a total of 12 questions
Slide 17
Slide 18
Slide 19
Slide 20
Slide 21
Motivations Responses Earn more income Improve standard of
living Higher wages than Mexico Stable income Put children through
school Improve my house Invest in my farm Learn new skills
Experiences of others in Canada Invest in business opportunities To
see/know another country As a way to emigrate to Canada
Slide 22
Principal Component Analysis (Job/Incomes/investment) Reason
for participating in CSAWP HHWFS&AIFA Because of low wages in
Mexico (or no jobs).82 -.115.071 To earn more income.76.042.075 To
earn a stable income.76.196-.117 To enhance my familys standard of
living.69.032.075 To invest in my farm.060.91 -.059 To learn new
skills.045.90.179 To put my children through school.040.000.86 To
improve my house.056.101.85 Proportion of variation explained (%)
30.022.518.1
Slide 23
Literature Compared with Principal Components Analysis Items
the literature has as separate motivations loaded on the same
componentmore income, income stability, standard of living. Items
literature grouped did not load on same componentstandard of
living, housing and childrens education Four did not load strongly
on any component Invest in business opportunities
Networks--experiences of others in Canada As a way to emigrate to
Canada (they know program) To see/know another country (trial)
Slide 24
To identify the which characteristics are associated with the
factors to emigrate, we regress: Regression Model j=1,,3 loaded
factor: HHW, FS&AI and FA i=1,,253 individuals in the sample
and n=1,,16 exogenous variables.
Slide 25
Regression Model Given that all of the motivations may
contribute to the emigration decision, a system of equations is
appropriate. The Iterative Seemingly Unrelated (ISUR) method, is
recommended for estimation of systems where errors are correlated
across equations and it is useful in cross-sectional data and panel
models The correlation coefficient in was 0.92.
Slide 26
VariableIncomeInvestmentFamily Constant0.510.25-1.10** Region
of origin: Northern Southern -0.10 0.52*** -0.31** 0.20 0.17 -0.05
Interviewees age-0.04***0.007-0.01 Spouses age0.036***-0.010.018
Demographic characteristics influence on motivations to participate
+
Slide 27
Influences on Motivations Being from southern region of Mexico
more associated with income than central region because the
southern region is poorer. People from northern region are less
motivated with investment because they may have more alternatives
to immigrate to the USA instead of Canada. Interviewees age
negatively associated with income Spouses age positively associated
with income
Slide 28
VariableIncomeInvestmentFamily Migrants education
0.05***-0.042***-0.0027 Spouses education Secondary High school
-0.28** -0.52*** -0.21* -0.15 0.046 -0.93*** Economic dependents
Child1 D=1 less than 2 children -0.20 0.27 -0.15 0.37 -0.21 0.24
More than 4 children0.120.24**0.03 Demographic characteristics
influence on motivations to participate +
Slide 29
Results Migrants with more education are more associated with
income but less with investment in the farm than migrants with less
schooling level. More educated spouse negatively associated with
income and investment than those with elementary school. More than
4 children, more associated with investment motivation than 2 to 4
children. Less than two children not significantly different than
two to four children on all motivations.
Slide 30
VariableIncomeInvestmentFamily Read basic
English0.31**-0.27***0.45*** Length of Contract-0.11***-0.0180.10**
Occupation in MexicoConstruction -0.02-0.290.76*** Occupation in
MexicoDay-laborer0.290.180.26 Occupation in Mexico Farmer
-0.170.60***0.31 Land tenancy: ejido0.25*0.30***0.008 R2R2
0.160.340.20 Demographic characteristics influence on motivations
to participate +
Slide 31
Results Reading basic English associated with the three
motivations Speaking not statistically significant Length of
contract is negatively associated with income and positive with
family. Construction occupation positively associated with family
than those working in commerce or industry. As expected: those
running a farm are more motivated to migrate because of the
interest for investing in their farm than any body else working
off-farm or in any other economic activity. In addition those
running a farm in the ejido are positively related with
investment.
Slide 32
Future research A second objective was to estimate the value of
the remittances and the economic multiplier effects in their
communities. Remittances use in order of importance Daily
Consumption House Improvements School expenses Investments Impact
of participation on farm activities in Mexico Say skills they learn
do not fit Mexico
Slide 33
Contributions of the paper Most of the research on Mexican
emigration, focuses on the US; very little on Canada Permanent
versus seasonal migration Structures that affect the duration of
migrationUS vs Canada. May not want to leave permanently.
Networkslonger history in US so more networks than Canada. The
formal program may substitute for a network.
Slide 34
Thank You
Slide 35
Motivations of Mexican Workers to Participate in Canadas
Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program: An Empirical Analysis Lidia
Carvajal (UAEM-Mxico) [email protected] Judith Stallmann
(MU-USA) [email protected] The authors would like to thank
the Mexican Consulate in Toronto and the United Farm Workers in
America for support in conducting the survey.
