Worker Recruitment

Recruitment begins with a job order placed through the state workforce agency serving the area of intended employment. The job order carries the certified terms — wage, duties, hours, worksite, and period of employment — so applicants see the same offer the H-2B workers would receive.

Beyond the job order, employers complete further recruitment steps as required for the occupation and location, including contacting former U.S. employees in the same position where applicable and, in unionized occupations, notifying the relevant bargaining representative.

Any U.S. worker who applies and is able, willing, qualified, and available must be hired — and that obligation continues past the filing date through a defined period. Employers cannot prefer an H-2B worker over a qualified U.S. applicant.

Each applicant is tracked: when they applied, how they were contacted, and the lawful, job-related reason for any rejection. The resulting recruitment report is submitted or retained as required and is one of the first documents examined in an audit.

Seasonal employers routinely run recruitment and receive few applications for work that ends after a defined period — which is the circumstance the program was written to address. Employers document that outcome honestly rather than treating recruitment as a formality, because the record is what supports the certification.