The Wall Street Journal: Businesses Beg for More Low-Skill Visas, Putting White House in a Bind
As the largest user of H-2B visas, BrightView is stymied by lack of petitions awarded by Department of Labor
The entire landscape services industry, among others, has been feeling the pressure for months after reaching the annual cap for H-2B visas on the first day possible, with many companies receiving only a fraction, if any, of its requested workers.
This past week, Congress passed a large omnibus spending bill, but failed to increase the number of H-2B visas available for the summer season, instead handing the decision over to the Department of Homeland Security, as they did in 2017.
The “Wall Street Journal” recently discussed the issue with BrightView’s Chief Marketing Officer Todd Chambers and Vice President and Associate General Counsel Sarah Powenski.
According to Powenski, BrightView Landscapes filed 94 petitions requesting a total of 3,500 visas, but was awarded fewer than 500, compared with 1,600 last year.
BrightView has implemented new hiring strategies across the country and is expanding recruiting efforts in an attempt to compensate for labor shortages.
“We rebranded 8,000 vehicles and put ‘now hiring’ on everything we own,” Chambers said.
To read the full article, visit the Wall Street Journal.
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