Learn more about agricultural labor:
Agricultural Job Satisfaction Survey
Agricultural Labor
Positive Labor Tools and Resources
to improve farmworker well-being and address labor challenges
Agricultural Job
Satisfaction Survey
What the survey
tells us
Educational
Resources
Useful Links
OUR AIMS
Address labor related challenges to the benefit of both vineyard employers and farmworkers through the promotion of equitable labor practices.
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UCCE Napa is collaborating with the Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation to encourage the use of a job satisfaction tool for identifying farmworker concerns to aid the targeting of positive labor strategies that are beneficial for farmworker well-being and company outcomes.
Agricultural Job Satisfaction Survey (AJSS) Tool
The AJSS is a 30-statement questionnaire measuring job satisfaction in 10 areas of the work environment for use with workers in any agricultural job role. The survey takes a minimum of 10 minutes to complete.
High job satisfaction scores are related to better company outcomes such as reduced turnover, higher productivity, and lower absenteeism. AJSS scores identify where employees are (dis)satisfied so that managers can implement targeted strategies to boost satisfaction. An information leaflet for managers can be found here.
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The UCCE Napa and Farmworker Foundation team is available to personally help employers use the AJSS with their workers. This can include a bi-lingual staff member to collect responses and the results will be provided in a report. This service is free for 2023. Contact Malcolm Hobbs at: mbhobbs@ucdavis.edu
Download the AJSS
ENGLISH
(for self-delivery & scoring)
SPANISH
What can the AJSS tell us?
Scores are calculated in10 areas of the work environment:
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Pay
Fringe benefits
Nature of agricultural work
Teamwork
Company communication
Ability to combine job with family commitments
Promotional opportunities,
Contingent rewards,
Commute
Health consequences of work
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Dissatisfactory areas can be targeted with positive labor strategies to boost satisfaction. Determine suitable strategies using the educational resources below and/or follow-up the AJSS with further consultations with workers.
Average farmworker satisfaction in Napa 2018
Educational Resources
Watch this video for an introduction on the importance of farmworker job satisfaction and positive labor strategies
2021 NVG Seminar: Sustainable Vineyard Practices: Maintaining a Stable Workforce
Summaries of key conclusions from our projects
Select Data Highlights
Graphs of % workers satisfied with pay levels in Napa County 2022
(click to enlarge)
2022 Napa County Farmworker Wage Satisfaction
1. Specialist Workers
2. Permanent Laborers
3. Seasonal Laborers
Below are the minimum pay levels most farmworkers found satisfactory and the levels at which satisfaction was highest. These are recommended to reduce turnover, keep employees motivated, and promote the financial security of farmworkers. In 2023, these values should be adjusted for inflation.
Specialists Workers (irrigators, tractor drivers, crew leaders):
Minimum recommended: $22.50/hour
Highest satisfaction at $24 to $28.00/hour
Permanent and Seasonal Laborers:
Minimum recommended: $19.50/hour
Highest Satisfaction: $20 to $20.50/hour
All Employees:
Farmworkers are satisfied when offered structured pay scales where workers earn progressively higher pay based on seniority or experience, independent of inflation.
Positive Labor Strategies for Boosting Job Satisfaction
UCCE NAPA FACTSHEETS
LABOR ARTICLES
1. Addressing organizational climate can potentially reduce sexual harassment of female agricultural workers in California. 2021. California Agriculture. Download
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2. Job satisfaction assessments of agricultural workers help employers improve the work environment and reduce turnover. 2020. California Agriculture. Download
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3. Leveraging pay and benefits as workforce retention strategies: insights from a case study of Napa vineyard workers. 2020. Catalyst: Discovery into Practice. Download
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4. The changing gender diversity of the California vineyard labor force and implications for grape production. 2017. Catalyst: Discovery into Practice. Download
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5. Positive labor strategies for California Farmworkers. California Institute for Rural Studies factsheets 2008. Download
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6. Labor management in agriculture. 2003. UC ANR Publication 3417. In-depth textbook on all aspects of farmworker personnel management. Download
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Useful Links
Farm Labor Dashboard
Helpful human resource tools
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