Overview

• The report analyzes 2015–2019 and 2023 shifts in H-2B issuance and focuses on local areas that heavily use the program, offering a more targeted view than prior broad-region studies.
• Each additional H-2B worker is associated with 2.7 to 4.9 additional full‑time‑equivalent U.S. jobs, rising to about 3.5 to 4.1 for workers with education beyond high school.
• Wages rose about 1.6% more in places that hired more H-2B workers, with roughly 2% extra growth for more‑educated workers and no significant negative effects for workers with a high school degree or less.
• Employers surveyed reported difficulty recruiting domestic workers and cited visa caps, processing delays, and prevailing‑wage rules that often exceed market rates as barriers that can delay seasonal arrivals and deter participation.
• Use of the program is concentrated in landscaping (about 40% of certifications), with hotels and motels at 8.67%, support activities for forestry at 6.3%, and seafood processing at 5.65%, as hotel groups also report a shortfall of roughly 200,000 workers from pre‑pandemic levels.