The vast majority of seasonal foreign hiring requests are concentrated in farmworkers and landscapers
Source: Manifest Law analysis of U.S. Department of Labor data
Among H-2A labor certification requests, employers in the 12-month period ending in March 2026 sought more than 533,000 farmworkers and laborers working in crops, nurseries, and greenhouses, making it by far the most-requested occupation. Other leading occupations include agricultural equipment operators (approximately 64,300 requested workers) and farmworkers working with animals (roughly 26,300). While the H-2A program is designed to support agricultural employers, certified requests also include occupations that support farming operations in secondary capacities, such as construction laborers (3,699), shuttle drivers and chauffeurs (2,543), and carpenter helpers (2,315). The concentration of requests among crop workers underscores the labor-intensive nature of U.S. agriculture and the industry's substantial seasonal workforce needs during planting and harvest periods.
Demand through the H-2B program is similarly concentrated, although across a broader range of industries. Unlike H-2A, which has no annual numerical limit, H-2B is generally capped at 66,000 visas each fiscal year, though Congress and the Department of Homeland Security have regularly authorized supplemental visas in recent years as employer demand has exceeded the statutory limit. As a result, certified labor requests reflect employer demand for seasonal workers rather than the number of workers ultimately admitted through the program. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers account for nearly 79,400 requested positions—almost six times more than the next-largest occupation, maids and housekeeping cleaners (13,462). Other leading occupations include forest and conservation workers (13,014), restaurant cooks (10,025), amusement and recreation attendants (9,310), and construction laborers (7,934). Together, these occupations illustrate how employers across landscaping, hospitality, recreation, forestry, construction, and other seasonal industries use the labor certification process to address recurring workforce shortages during predictable periods of peak demand.
