Posted on 11/04/2017 3:36:24 AM PDT by DoodleDawg
I don't think it's simply a question of not paying enough.
According to the Foreign Labor Certification Online Wage Library for H-2B workers, here are the top skill (Level 4) wages for hospitality jobs in the Palm Beach area:
Whether I like it or not, I do believe that the qualifications for working a high-end worldwide luxury resorts are higher than those for your neighborhood Holiday Inn. We're not just talking about maids and cooks.
For the 70 seasonal positions, we're probably talking about concierges, butlers, bartenders, waiters and waitresses. These people need to be: 1) attractive (sad to say), 2) speak multiple European languages, and 3) have impeccable service skills.
As I said in an earlier post, I don't think you will find many on-the-couch locals with these qualifications: 1) they would already be working in a hospitality job in the area, or 2) they don't yet have 5-star experience.
That said, if you've ever taken a cruise, you would know how many people from other countries are out there trying to break into the hospitality industry. Cruises may be the harshest way to break into the field, but it is entry-level for people from 3rd-world countries who don't have degrees in Hospitality Management. Some whom I spoke to just want to learn the business and then go back home to open their own family restaurant or work in local hotel.
If there are South Floridians vying for these H-2B positions, they shouldn't be entry-level unemployed hoping to bag a job at the top of the field.
-PJ
What your table shows is that the H-2B wage is consistently less than the L4 wage. So what other purpose does it serve except to depress wages paid?
First, It's the H-2B mean wage, not the H-2B wage. Precision in language, please.
Second, the Level 4 wage is what I surmise to be what is paid at luxury resort hotels; the H-2B mean wage is the average of the L1 through L4 wages (the L1-L3 I didn't reproduce). So I'm not jumping to the conclusion that the H-2B is depressing wages.
An H-2B seasonal worker may get less than the prevailing Level 4 wage, but that doesn't mean that an American is getting the H-2B mean wage; they would be getting the Level 4 wage, or else the Level 4 wage would be lower. The fact that the Level 4 wage is above the H-2B mean wage should mean the opposite of what you said; Americans are being paid more.
-PJ
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