H-2B Program
Economic Impact
H-2B is a workforce program with a narrow purpose: it lets an employer meet a short, recurring surge in demand when enough qualified U.S. workers are not available for that period. The economic argument for it is straightforward — the surge either gets staffed or the work does not happen.
The figures below are computed directly from the most recent public disclosure file published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification.
The scale of certified seasonal work
232,434
Certified worker positions
FY2025 Q4 disclosure data
8,806
Participating employers
Distinct employers with certified cases
53
States and territories
With at least one certified worksite
Certified positions are concentrated in a handful of occupations — landscaping and groundskeeping, housekeeping, forest and conservation work, kitchen roles, and amusement and recreation — that are difficult to staff seasonally and impossible to postpone.
The year-round jobs behind the seasonal ones
Seasonal employers carry permanent staff through the off-season: supervisors, mechanics, drivers, estimators, schedulers, and office employees. Those positions are paid out of revenue earned during a few peak months. A season that is understaffed reduces the revenue that supports them.
This is the practical link the Council asks policymakers to keep in view — seasonal workforce access is not a substitute for American employment; in these businesses it is a precondition for it.
Awaiting approved copy: This section contains an original short summary for layout purposes. Final wording should be supplied or approved by the Council before publication.
Local supply chains and community effects
A staffed season keeps orders flowing to equipment dealers, fuel suppliers, nurseries, food distributors, laundries, and maintenance contractors. In resort and coastal communities, the same season funds a large share of local sales and lodging tax receipts.
Awaiting approved copy: This section contains an original short summary for layout purposes. Final wording should be supplied or approved by the Council before publication.
What a shortfall costs
When an employer is not selected in the cap lottery or a supplemental release lands too late in the season, the effects compound: contracts are declined or handed back, service levels fall, overtime rises for the existing crew, and equipment purchased for the season sits idle.
Because demand for certified positions has consistently exceeded the visas ultimately issued, this is not an edge case. The Program Demand chart on the Data & Impact page shows the gap year by year.
Sources & further reading
- U.S. DOL, Office of Foreign Labor Certification — performance and disclosure data
- Seasonal Employment Alliance — H-2B economic impact (source page has moved; awaiting an updated link from the Council)
Last reviewed: September 20, 2026
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