Recently released H-2A program data reveals some interesting impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time since the Department of Labor began reporting quarterly data in 2013, the number of certified positions declined in the fourth quarter (July 1 – Sept. 30) of fiscal year 2020. However, the number of certified positions in the first quarter of fiscal year 2020 (Oct. 1 – Dec. 31) climbed by nearly 20%, suggesting that while the pandemic has shifted the pattern of worker arrivals, it has not suppressed the overall upward trajectory of the program.
