Just imagine, it's a warm summer day and you are riding a tandem bike along a curving shoreline. A ferry boat can be seen gliding through the shimmering blue water as the sun begins to set. You roll past a series of grand, historical buildings as you hear the clip-clopping of nearby horses. These are the sights and sounds of Mackinac Island, Michigan, a popular vacation destination island since the nineteenth century. The island has a plethora of recreational activities. Its six-month tourism business generates nearly $300 million in yearly revenue.1
While Mackinac Island, along with northern Michigan, continues to attract a vast number of visitors during the summer months, it lacks a sufficient number of seasonal workers. Mackinac Island has an approximate population of 476 residents and its respective county has an approximate population of 10,700. An influx of nearly 4,500 workers between April and November are needed to allow the island's seasonal businesses to remain fully operational.2 Northern Michigan employers have encountered difficulty over the past several years when searching for American workers who are interested in filling these seasonal positions. Many of these positions require prolonged hours being spent outside while performing taxing, physical labor. Further, it may be difficult for such workers to reach Mackinac Island. Some northern Michigan areas, such as Traverse City, also have an expensive housing market. Aside from finding the requisite interest, Michigan is facing a labor shortage as its population ages and companies continue to recuperate from the pandemic. Don Grimes, a University of Michigan research economist, noted that retiring baby boomers will leave a vacancy in the workforce that can't be filled by only U.S. citizens.3
Consequently, Michigan companies along with others across the U.S. are placing increased reliance on the H-2A and H-2B visa programs. The H-2A visa program relates to temporary agricultural workers whereas the H-2B visa program pertains to temporary non-agricultural workers such as landscapers, restaurant staff, and those in the hospitality and tourism industry. With more H-2B visa requests being submitted throughout the country due to the inability to find interested American workers, it is important to note that the number of available H-2B visas has been capped to 66,000 visas per fiscal year. An H-2B visa application is only successful if it is selected during a lottery process as the number of applications exceed the number of available visas. Despite the accelerated demand for guest workers, the 66,000 visa cap has not changed since 1990.4 Accordingly, the size of a seasonal workforce is fairly unpredictable.
H-2B visas not only benefit petitioning companies but they create opportunities for U.S. workers too. The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research reported that adding 100 non-agriculture visa workers eventually creates 464 positions for U.S. citizens.5 Hiring visa guest workers can allow American workers to retain employment as their respective employers operate at full capacity. In light of the positive aspects of the H-2A and H-2B visa programs and the increasing demand for seasonal guest workers, advocating for further issuances of H-2A and H-2B visas can benefit places such as Mackinac Island, Michigan, in meaningful ways. In December of last year, the Department of Homeland Security issued an additional 20,000 H-2B visas for the winter season due to the apparent need.6 Yet, many employers found that the supplemental increase was not enough to meet their business needs. The sheer volume of filed H-2B visa applications support their findings. Moreover, in March of this year, an additional 35,000 H-2B visas for the summer season were issued. Still, seasonal businesses have concerns relating to a labor shortage.7 Vital seasonal positions can be filled, seasonal businesses can operate at full capacity, additional jobs can be created for U.S. workers, future investments can be more easily obtained, and business owners can plan more effectively when H-2A and H-2B visa accessibility is increased in a foreseeable way.
Footnotes
1. Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau Political Action Committee: https://www.mitbpac.com/about/
2. Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau Political Action Committee: https://www.mitbpac.com/what-we-do/
3. Lindsay Moore and Malachi Barrett. "Michigan Leans on Migrant Workers Amid Labor Shortage." MLive, September, 27, 2021: https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2021/09/michigan-leans-on-migrant-workers-amid-labor-shortage.html
4. Lindsay Moore and Malachi Barrett. "Michigan Leans on Migrant Workers Amid Labor Shortage." MLive, September, 27, 2021: https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2021/09/michigan-leans-on-migrant-workers-amid-labor-shortage.html
5. Lindsay Moore and Malachi Barrett. "Michigan Leans on Migrant Workers Amid Labor Shortage." MLive, September, 27, 2021: https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2021/09/michigan-leans-on-migrant-workers-amid-labor-shortage.html
6. Melissa Nann Burke. "Slotkin Seeks 44K More Visas for Seasonal Guest Workers, Plans Border Security Legislation." Detroit News, February 7, 2022: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2022/02/07/slotkin-seeks-44000-more-visas-seasonal-guest-workers/6686804001/
7. Chris Conte. "How the Seasonal Worker Shortage Could Impact Summer Destinations." The Denver Channel, April 18, 2022: https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/national/how-the-seasonal-worker-shortage-could-impact-summer-destinations
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