Migrant Workers
Adrianna Ruiz
Professor Chao
English 1A
8 December 2010
Migrant Workers: U.S. vs. Taiwan In this essay I will be discussing the similarities and differences of migrant workers, between the two countries: U.S. & Taiwan. Although these two countries are completely different they do have more similarities than you think. The term “migrant worker” is used to refer to individuals who enter the United States or another country legally or illegally as temporary or seasonal workers, typically in agriculture such as farmers, or in semi-skilled or unskilled industries such as house maids or waiters. In both the U.S. and Taiwan a maid can be a common role. I will start off by telling you about the working conditions of the migrant workers in the United States. We obviously know that migrant agricultural workers experience the lowest incomes, poorest working conditions, and fewest benefits from social services in the United States. Their weekly earnings are the lowest of all occupational sectors except employees in private households and other nonproductive services. Because they average only twenty-four weeks of employment per year, they have the lowest annual earnings. During the 1990s, their absolute earnings declined, in contrast to all other occupational categories. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the average yearly earnings of migrant farm workers were approximately 40 percent of the official poverty rate. Migrant workers are employed in the most dangerous of all occupational categories except mining, and their housing and health conditions are the poorest of all occupational groups. Since schooling for migrant children is not consistent, migrant workers have extremely low levels of education. Despite years of efforts by advocates, legislation involving migrant housing, health, education, and employment conditions is still inadequate. Migrant workers suffer extraordinarily poor health conditions and physical problems stemming from their
Professor Chao
English 1A
8 December 2010
Migrant Workers: U.S. vs. Taiwan In this essay I will be discussing the similarities and differences of migrant workers, between the two countries: U.S. & Taiwan. Although these two countries are completely different they do have more similarities than you think. The term “migrant worker” is used to refer to individuals who enter the United States or another country legally or illegally as temporary or seasonal workers, typically in agriculture such as farmers, or in semi-skilled or unskilled industries such as house maids or waiters. In both the U.S. and Taiwan a maid can be a common role. I will start off by telling you about the working conditions of the migrant workers in the United States. We obviously know that migrant agricultural workers experience the lowest incomes, poorest working conditions, and fewest benefits from social services in the United States. Their weekly earnings are the lowest of all occupational sectors except employees in private households and other nonproductive services. Because they average only twenty-four weeks of employment per year, they have the lowest annual earnings. During the 1990s, their absolute earnings declined, in contrast to all other occupational categories. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the average yearly earnings of migrant farm workers were approximately 40 percent of the official poverty rate. Migrant workers are employed in the most dangerous of all occupational categories except mining, and their housing and health conditions are the poorest of all occupational groups. Since schooling for migrant children is not consistent, migrant workers have extremely low levels of education. Despite years of efforts by advocates, legislation involving migrant housing, health, education, and employment conditions is still inadequate. Migrant workers suffer extraordinarily poor health conditions and physical problems stemming from their
Cited: <a href="http://www.jrank.org/cultures/pages/4195/Migrant-Workers.html">Migrant Workers - Critical Role, Working Conditions, Migrant Streams, Mechanization, Changing Patterns of Migration, Changing Demographics, Contract Labor Programs</a> (December 7th, 2010) http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific/Taiwan-WORKING-CONDITIONS.html Lan, Pei-Chia. Global Cinderellas: Migrant Domestics and Newly Rich Employers in Taiwan. Duke University Press. 2006 <a href="http://careers.stateuniversity.com/pages/10/Farm-Laborer.html">Farm Laborer Job Description, Career as a Farm Laborer, Salary, Employment - Definition and Nature of the Work, Education and Training Requirements, Getting the Job</a> (December 7th, 2010) Coles, Robert. With these Hands: The Hidden World of Migrant Farmworkers Today. University of California Press; 1 edition (October 2, 2000)