The H-2B temporary foreign worker program--is to promote cheap labor

[eridani]

http://www.epi.org/publication/h2b-temporary-foreign-worker-program-for-labor-shortages-or-cheap-temporary-labor/.

Despite above-average employment growth in some of the top H-2B occupations, the fact that wages have been stagnant or declining, combined with persistently high unemployment rates, suggests that there are no labor shortages at the national level in the top H-2B occupations.

Specifically, looking at the top 15 H-2B occupations (the occupations with the largest numbers of certifications) in fiscal year 2014 and assessing how they changed from 2004 to 2014, we see that:

There was no significant wage growth; in fact, wages were stagnant or declining for workers in all of the top 15 H-2B occupations.
Seven of the top 15 occupations experienced employment growth that exceeded the overall growth of 5.5 percent for all occupations, two experienced employment growth that was less than the overall growth for all occupations, and six contracted.
In the three fastest-growing occupations of Nonfarm Animal Caretakers (up 99.5 percent), Coaches and Scouts (up 72.3 percent), and Cooks in Restaurants (up 44.3 percent), wages declined over the same ten-year period.
Unemployment rates increased in all but one of the top 15 H-2B occupations, and all 15 occupations had very high average unemployment rates in 2013–2014 (the most recent data available). In 11 of the top 15 H-2B occupations, unemployment dropped from 2004–2005 to 2006–2007, but then rose significantly between 2006–2007 and 2013–2014. Such high unemployment rates suggest a loose labor market in the top 15 H-2B occup

[Recursion]

1. It's interesting how little attention H-2 visas have received compared to H-1's

It might be that the H-2B numbers are miniscule compared to H-1B and H-2A (seasonal farm workers), but even so H-2A also almost gets no attention.

[zalinda]

2. It's because they are not high paying jobs. eom

[Recursion]

3. They would be higher paying if Americans had to be hired for them...

I mean, obviously that's true, but there's some chicken and egg there I think.

[zalinda]

4. A lot of these jobs

are have been taken from Americans because they have become part time jobs, with weird hours. Foreign workers, have either extended families or work in groups with cost of living expenses usually all living together. Americans usually don't have the luxury of grouping of people to take on living expenses because they already have their lives established.

Z