By Verité

One of the biggest challenges for growers in the United States each season is ensuring they correctly pay all the costs associated with hiring foreign workers. This includes visa payments, transportation costs, accommodation, and other expenses, which are often paid for by growers or outsourced through recruitment agencies or contractors.

The Recruitment Cost Calculator (RCC) is a free web platform developed by the non-profit organization Verité, which promotes labor rights in global supply chains.

Georgina Vázquez, Verité Global Lead for Technical Assistance to Governments

Georgina Vázquez, Global Lead for Technical Assistance to Governments and Project Lead of the Recruitment Cost Calculator, explains that this tool helps employers understand the true costs associated with recruiting migrant workers, as there is often a lack of reliable information that can help employers verify what legitimate recruitment costs should be in the U.S. agricultural sector.

“The Ethical Charter that many employers have adopted in the United States shows there is a commitment that comes out of ethical responsibility - not by law - to help prevent risks such as human trafficking and excessive debt for migrant workers. We want to provide US employers with trusted estimates so they can continue advancing their goals on ethical recruitment of migrant workers,” says Vázquez.

The cost of doing business right

Numerous questions arise on how to navigate these costs effectively. What do companies need to prioritize? Which aspects of the hiring process are prone to increased expenses? How to reduce the cost of the recruitment process?  

With RCC, your company will be able to:

1. Integrate legal and ethical recruitment costs into your business model.
2. Develop mechanisms to ensure accurate recruitment cost coverage in contracts with buyers, clients, suppliers, and labor providers.
3. Benchmark recruitment offers against a reliable set of data to evaluate how a bid compares against actual best practice costs.
4. Mitigate legal and reputational risks related to worker-paid recruitment fees.
5. Help employers reduce recruitment costs by paying them upfront instead of reimbursing later.

*Example of Recruitment Cost Calculator results

"The RCC offers a detailed checklist of recruitment costs for workers coming from Mexico and Guatemala under the H-2A visa program, since they make up 99% of all H2A visas in the United States," says Vázquez, who notes that variables such as the destination region, recruitment method and the worker’s region of origin are taken into account.

“Also, it is a key tool for growers to negotiate premiums with their buyers and show them the true costs of doing business right. It can help level the playing field for those growers that protect their clients from legal and reputational risks by paying the full cost of recruitment. Understanding and ensuring coverage of all recruitment costs is no longer a burden but a competitive advantage,” concludes Vázquez.

If you’re interested in learning more about RCC and how it can help you optimize recruitment costs and enhance your credibility, visit: Recruitment Cost Calculator - Verité