Unemployment Insurance Navigators Serving Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers
Findings from Wisconsin and New Mexico
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Key Findings
- Migrant and seasonal farmworkers, agricultural workers who are employed in a seasonal or temporary nature, face several barriers to receiving UI benefits.
- For migrant and seasonal farmworkers who meet all the eligibility requirements to receive UI benefits, distinct barriers to applying for and receiving benefits include: 1) language barriers; 2) complexity of claim filing due to earning wages in multiple states; 3) cultural barriers; and 4) educational barriers.
- UI Navigators in Wisconsin and New Mexico support farmworkers by providing language translation and assistance, intensive one-on-one support, and outreach and educational activities informed by their lived experience and unique connections to the communities they serve.
This spotlight brief highlights reported barriers faced by migrant and seasonal farmworkers to receiving unemployment insurance (UI) benefits and how UI Navigators in Wisconsin and New Mexico help to remove these barriers.
This brief is part of a study funded by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Chief Evaluation Office, that explores the implementation of UI Navigator Grants, which seven states received in 2022. The DOL’s Employment and Training Administration funded these three-year competitive grants, which aim to support efforts to promote equitable access to UI benefits, with American Rescue Plan Act funds. Visit the Navigator Evidence-Building Portfolio website for additional information about the study’s design and related publications. A full study report will be available in early 2025.
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