Occupation Profile

Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop and Nursery

(SOC Code : 45-2092)

in California

Manually plant, cultivate, and harvest vegetables, fruits, nuts, horticultural specialties, and field crops. Use hand tools, such as shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, shears, and knives. Duties may include tilling soil and applying fertilizers; transplanting, weeding, thinning, or pruning crops; applying pesticides; cleaning, grading, sorting, packing and loading harvested products. May construct trellises, repair fences and farm buildings, or participate in irrigation activities. Exclude "Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products" (45-2041). Exclude "Forest, Conservation, and Logging Workers" (45-4011 through 45-4029).

Employers usually expect an employee in this occupation to be able to do the job after Short-term on-the-job training .

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Occupational Wages

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Area	Year	Period	Hourly Mean	Hourly by Percentile
				25th	Median	75th
California	2012	1st Qtr	$9.39	$8.58	$8.98	$9.38

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Occupational Projections of Employment (also called "Outlook" or "Demand")

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Area	Estimated Year-Projected Year	Employment		Employment Change		Annual Avg Openings
		Estimated	Projected	Number	Percent
California	2010 - 2020	246,800	250,300	3,500	1.4	7,880

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Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange

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Within miles of Zip Code.

Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List)

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Industry Title

Number of Employers in State of California

Percent of Total
Employment for Occupation in State of California

Beverage & Tobacco Product Manufacturing

2,610

1.1%

About Staffing Patterns

Data for Training Programs not available.

About Training & Apprenticeships

About This Occupation (from O*NET - The Occupation Information Network)

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Top Tasks (Specific duties and responsibilities of this job.)

Plant, spray, weed, fertilize, and water plants, shrubs, and trees, using hand tools and gardening tools.

Harvest plants, and transplant or pot and label them.

Feel plants` leaves and note their coloring to detect the presence of insects or disease.

Operate tractors and other machinery and equipment to fertilize, cultivate, harvest, and spray fields and plants.

Inspect plants and bud ties to assess quality.

Dig, cut, and transplant seedlings, cuttings, trees, and shrubs.

Move containerized shrubs, plants, and trees, using wheelbarrows or tractors.

Clean work areas, and maintain grounds and landscaping.

Haul and spread topsoil, fertilizer, peat moss, and other materials to condition soil, using wheelbarrows or carts and shovels.

Maintain and repair irrigation and climate control systems.

More Tasks for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse , More Tasks for Nursery Workers , More Tasks for General Farmworkers

Top Skills used in this Job

Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others` reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others` actions.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others` actions.

Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

More Skills for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse , More Skills for Nursery Workers , More Skills for General Farmworkers

Data for Tasks not available.

More Abilities for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse , More Abilities for Nursery Workers , More Abilities for General Farmworkers

Top Work Values (Aspects of this job that create satisfaction.)

Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

Achievement - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

More Work Values for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse , More Work Values for Nursery Workers , More Work Values for General Farmworkers

Top Interests (The types of activities someone in this job would like.)

Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

More Interests for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse , More Interests for Nursery Workers , More Interests for General Farmworkers

Alternate Titles

Farm Laborers; Field Hands; Field Irrigation Workers; Field Workers; Garden Center Employees; Greenhouse Workers; Growers; Harvesters; Hired Hands; Hoe Workers; Irrigators; Nursery Harvesters; Nursery Workers; Orchard Workers; Pickers; Plant Production Workers; Transplant Workers