Local landscaping firms are struggling to keep up with work, because their pool of seasonal workers has dried up.
Owners typically count on filling low-skill jobs with legal immigrants through the Federal Guest Worker Visa Program, or H-2B. Landscaping companies have used the H-2B program to supplement their seasonal lawn maintenance crews for years.
The program permits employers to hire foreign workers to come temporarily to perform work on a seasonal basis. It’s used throughout the country in the landscape service industry and also resorts, carnivals, timber companies, golf courses and many other industries.
This season has been different. The federal government permitted a limited number of visas and used a lottery system versus a first-come, first-served system as the past, leaving companies without their seasonal workforce.
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