It’s midsummer, and Susan Tosun is still waiting on a few Newport residents who were offered seasonal jobs to get back to her.
Each year Tosun, director of the food and beverage program at Newport Harbor Hotel and Marina, sees the same thing.
“It’s very hard to hire locals. We do put ads everywhere, we just don’t get enough people to apply for [those jobs],” she said.
When local people do apply, they often disappear after being offered a position.
“We hire a lot of people who end up never [showing up],” Tosun said.
Businesses don’t seem to have that problem with employees using the H-2B or J-1 federal work visas.
Businesses in the past have reported frustration with the paperwork and red tape associated with the H-2B program, but use of the J-1 program appears to be growing locally.
J-1 visas are typically used by college students who come to the U.S. to work summer jobs. The H-2B program is restricted to nonagricultural labor.
Last year, Rhode Island hosted 862 summer workers with J-1 visas, 445 of which were in Greater Newport, according to the Newport County Chamber of Commerce.
In 2017, R.I. had 833 J-1 summer work visas and in 2016, 749, according to federal data.
Comparable annual statistics for H-2B visas were not immediately available. The Newport County Chamber says there were 524 summer workers on H-2B visas statewide in 2017, according to data it received from the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Immigration Studies, an anti-immigration think tank.
Workers with H-2B visas typically work seasonal jobs in hotels, restaurants, landscaping and the seafood industry, among others, said Dale Venturini, CEO and president of the Rhode Island Hospitality Association.
Those with J-1 visas also work seasonal jobs, including restaurants and hotels, employers say.
The visa programs bolster seaside economies during hectic summer months, says Erin Donovan-Boyle, Newport County Chamber executive director.
“It’s the largest organizations that have the where-with-all to apply for these programs,” she said.
A close relationship with County Cork colleges in Ireland has resulted in a number of students from the Emerald Isle working in Newport.
More than 200 college students hired on J-1s are working on Block Island this summer, said Cindy Lasser, executive director of the Block Island Chamber of Commerce.
Despite Tosun’s difficulty finding seasonal employees, use of visa programs doesn’t necessarily reflect a shortage of workers, businesses say.
At the Newport Marriott, the hotel brought in J-1 visa holders for the first time this year to fill short-term openings. About 10 college-age workers, most from eastern Europe, are working in the Marriott’s restaurant, said Alexa Furtado, the hotel’s social media manager.
The program “is a good fit for … jobs that are only available for the busiest months,” she said.
Elizabeth Graham is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Graham@PBN.com.
