In 2019, the number of employment law violations detected by the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) among agricultural employers dropped to the lowest point in 15 years: Number of MSPA, H-2A, and FLSA violations detected by WHD investigations in agriculture, fiscal years 2005–2019
| Fiscal year | MSPA violations | H-2A violations | FLSA violations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 3,933 | 1,782 | 2,029 |
| 2006 | 4,336 | 4,587 | 5,708 |
| 2007 | 4,790 | 7,604 | 2,463 |
| 2008 | 4,380 | 7,853 | 3,440 |
| 2009 | 6,421 | 7,116 | 2,508 |
| 2010 | 5,115 | 7,349 | 6,637 |
| 2011 | 7,085 | 11,856 | 4,449 |
| 2012 | 11,551 | 7,277 | 7,882 |
| 2013 | 12,700 | 3,940 | 7,816 |
| 2014 | 6,521 | 7,738 | 5,799 |
| 2015 | 4,920 | 5,995 | 4,497 |
| 2016 | 3,256 | 4,479 | 1,532 |
| 2017 | 2,659 | 6,280 | 1,862 |
| 2018 | 2,545 | 4,196 | 1,451 |
| 2019 | 659 | 1,636 | 708 |
Note: MSPA stands for the Migrant and Seasonal Worker Protection Act, H-2A is the H-2A work visa program for temporary agricultural workers, and FLSA stands for the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Source: Authors' analysis of U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Compliance Action Data (U.S. DOL-WHD 2020f).