Trabajadores temporales en los Estados Unidos y Canadá: Flujos migratorios y condiciones laborales, 1974–2015.

Abstract

This paper analyzes the migration flows and labor conditions of temporary migrants from Mexico on H-2 visas to the United States and those participating in the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) in Canada. We will use the foundations of the Mexican Migration Project (MMP) to analyze the determinants of the first trip to each country on work visas, the labor and financial conditions of their last migratory trip, and the factors that contribute to the amount they send in remittances and the amount of savings with which they return to Mexico at the end of the work season. Our results indicate that the temporary worker population comes from rural areas, but that migrants with H-2 visas enjoy higher wages and shorter workdays compared to those who participate in the SAWP. However, the annual workdays for both groups of labor migrants are similar in cumulative work hours. There is no difference in the amount that these temporary work visa migrants send back to Mexico monthly in the form of remittances, but there is a very clear difference in that labor migrants with H-2 visas return to Mexico with larger savings.