65.1% of Alabama's Seasonal Visa Workers Are in Non-Farm Industries

Seasonal foreign workers play a significant role in helping U.S. employers address short-term labor shortages during periods of peak demand. The two primary pathways are the H-2A and H-2B temporary worker programs. The H-2A program allows agricultural employers to hire foreign workers for seasonal farm jobs when there are not enough available U.S. workers, while the H-2B program serves employers with temporary non-agricultural labor needs in industries such as landscaping, hospitality, seafood processing, construction, and recreation. Before employers can hire through either program, they must demonstrate a temporary need and satisfy federal labor certification requirements intended to protect U.S. workers and wages.

These visa programs have become an increasingly important component of the U.S. labor market as employers across a range of industries face persistent workforce shortages driven by demographic shifts, seasonal demand, and geographic mismatches between available jobs and workers. In agriculture, seasonal foreign workers primarily help farms plant, cultivate, and harvest crops that might otherwise face labor constraints. Outside agriculture, H-2B workers support industries that experience predictable seasonal surges, from maintaining parks and resorts to landscaping commercial properties and serving tourists during peak travel seasons. Because many of these industries are concentrated in particular regions, reliance on seasonal foreign labor can have an outsized effect on local economies, influencing business operations, consumer services, and employment patterns throughout the year.