CASE: THE HUNT FOR SEASONAL WORKERS CROSSES BORDERS
1. Complete a 2-page paper (not including the title and reference pages). 
2. Answer each problem thoroughly.
3. Demonstrate your understanding of the information presented in the reading by defining terms, describeing concepts, and providing detailed exs to illustrate your points.
4. Include at least two references from your reading assignments, or other academic sources, to reinforce and support your own thoughts, ideas, and statements.

Case: The Hunt For Seasonal Workers Crosses Borders

Every summer, High Sierra Pools needs lifeguards, and the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs adds 500 employees to its staff of 1,200 to handle the peak season. As the tourist season heats up on Cape Cod, Bubala's by the Bay needs extra restaurant workers. For these and other companies in the resort and hospitality industry, the seasonal rise in demand for workers creates an annual labor shortage.

The peak in the demand for labor is too steep to handle with overtime, and the type of work can't be outsourced to dishwashers or lifeguards in another location. The main option for employers is to find workers who want a summer job.

In the past, summer jobs were filled with high school and college students. Today, however, more students are looking for internships or jobs related to their career plans. Many high-schoolers are trying to improve their college prospects by taking courses or signing up for travel and service projects. Academic years now often start in August, so students aren't available through Labor Day. As a result, resort and pool owners have found it nearly impossible to fill seasonal jobs, even after boosting wages. High Sierra, for ex, tried running newspaper ads in regions of the United States where unemployment was high, as well as recruiting students from swim teams. Such efforts largely failed.

The solution for High Sierra, the Broadmoor, Bubala's, and other seasonal employers has come from other countries. These companies have begun recruiting seasonal workers to come to the United States under a visa program called H-2B, which admits foreign workers for jobs lasting up to six months. Employers wishing to hire these workers must obtain approval by filing applications with the Department of Labor, Department of State, and Department of Homeland Security and must prove they cannot fill their jobs with American workers. To be considered for an H-2B visa, the foreign workers must show they have binding ties to their own countries so that they will return home when the visa expires.

High Sierra's first H-2B hires came from Germany. As economic conditions made it more attractive for young Germans to stay in Europe, the company began pushing its recruiting efforts farther east. Recently, High Sierra found most of its lifeguards in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Russia, and Kazakhstan. To recruit employees in these countries, the company's Web career pages are available in several languages (with links from the countries' flags). The career pages describe to young recruits and their parents how the company will help them with housing, health care, and other needs in America. In a recent year, half of the company's 500 temporary workers were foreigners. 146 PART 2 Acquiring and Preparing Human Resources These employees put in far more than half the needed hours, as they preferred to work 60 hours a week to earn overtime pay.

The Broadmoor's H-2B workers come mostly from Jamaica. Many return year after year, so they are already trained when they arrive. Jamaican workers also staff Bubala's by the Bay, working as sous chefs, line cooks, and dishwashers. The restaurant's general manager says, "We can't operate our business without these guys at all."

One downside of this option for combating a labor shortage is that it is subject to changing government policies. The federal government sets a limit, or cap, on the number of H-2B visas that may be issued each year. At the time this case was written, the number of H-2B visas that may be issued was 66,000 per year. Congress temporarily allowed businesses to obtain visas for returning workers who previously had received H-2B visas without counting those workers against the cap. However, that temporary provision expired. Businesses that relied on workers with H-2B visas have lobbied Congress to extend the provision for returning workers; but unless they succeed, they must find new solutions for their labor shortage if they cannot fill all their vacant positions before the visa cap is reached.

SOURCES: June Kronholz, "Why Filling Summer Jobs Is Tougher and Tougher," Wall Street Journal, July 6, 2007, http://online.wsj.com ; Joan Johnson, "Competition Heating Up Summer Job Season in Colorado Springs," Colorado Springs Business Journal, June 29, 2007, downloaded from
General Reference Center Gold, http://find.galegroup.com ; Sarah Shemkus, "Cape Cod Employers Fear Changes in Visa Rules Could Reduce Seasonal Workforce," Cape Cod Times, October 5, 2007, http://find.galegroup.com ; High Sierra Pools, "Lifeguards and Pool Managers" and "Sierra for Parents," High Sierra Web site, www.highsierrapools.com , accessed January 15, 2008; and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, "Current Cap Count for Non-immigrant Worker Visas for Fiscal Year 2008," USCIS Employer Information, www.uscis.gov , accessed January 8, 2008.

problems
1. If the companies described in this case cannot fill all vacant seasonal jobs with workers under H-2B visas, what other options are available for filling the jobs?
2. Which of the additional options, if any, would you recommend?
3. What additional recruiting strategies, besides the ones described in this case, would you recommend to High Sierra Pools?