Foreign workers have long provided critical support to American businesses in the busy seasons—filling temporary, seasonal jobs when domestic workers were not available. This support—almost always of manual labor—is possible due to the H-2 visa program, which Congress created in 1952 with the aim of “alleviating labor shortages … particularly in periods of intense production.”
Specifically, the H-2A visa allows employers to hire temporary agricultural workers, and the H-2B visa lets employers hire non-agricultural workers, like landscapers and hotel staff. Both are popular with businesses. However, it’s becoming clear that the H-2B program is not doing enough to meet the soaring needs of American employers, who are confronting rising worker shortages in the face of changing U.S. labor dynamics.
A new analysis by the American Immigration Council reveals that the number of temporary non-agricultural workers certified by the U.S. Department of Labor grew from over 147,000 in fiscal year (FY) 2018 to more than 215,000 in FY 2023—a 46% jump in just five years. Still, the visa program caps the number of workers at 66,000 workers per year, split between the first and second halves of the fiscal year. Congress had to authorize additional visas in the past four fiscal years.
The Council’s analysis found that the H-2B program’s geographic reach also expanded significantly, with a 30.4% increase in the number of counties using H-2B workers from 2018 to 2023. Employers in 469 counties that didn’t have certified workers in FY 2018 gained such workers in FY 2023, reflecting a growing reliance on H-2B workers across diverse regions.
Looking at the states, Texas had the highest number of DOL-certified H-2B workers, while Florida saw the largest numerical increase, from 10,690 certified workers in FY 2018 to 18,384 in FY 2023. And in a dozen states—Alabama, Hawaii, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oregon, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming—the number of certified workers more than doubled during this period.
The Council’s interactive map lets you explore the specific trends in your state and better understand how H-2B workers are distributed across the country. This resource provides a detailed breakdown of the program’s reach and impact. In June, the Council also released a report on H-2A workers, which includes an interactive tool and finds a similar increase in demand for temporary immigrant workers in the agriculture industry.
In the non-agricultural sector, landscaping, hotels and motels, and services to buildings and dwellings are the top industries that rely on the H-2B visas. As the U.S. baby boom generation retires out of the workforce and young U.S.-born workers continue to show little interest in physically intensive seasonal jobs, the hospitality and landscaping sectors have faced significant challenges in recruiting and retaining employees.
In 2023, the most requested occupations for H-2B workers were landscaping and groundskeeping workers, comprising 39.1% of all certifications; maids and housekeeping cleaners, at 7.0%; and forest and conservation workers, with 5.8%. Foreign seasonal workers are also in high demand in the tourism, construction, and seafood processing industries.
The H-2B visa program plays an essential role in supporting American businesses, and, by extension, bolstering regional economies across the United States. But the program needs an overhaul. Not only are the numbers of annual visas issued clearly insufficient to meet the needs of today’s employers, but the process for obtaining the visas is overly complex, involving multiple and time-consuming steps with both the Department of Labor and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
We must continue to protect U.S.-born workers and prevent the exploitation of seasonal foreign workers. But we can do this while also expanding access and streamlining the process so that American employers can better access the temporary workforces they need.