Some ski resorts had anticipated a slowdown in seasonal international workers arriving to the U.S. because of recent policy changes by the Trump Administration. However, industry leaders say the workforce is strong heading into the winter.
The U.S. State Department paused student and exchange visa interviews for about a month this spring. When it resumed reviews, it announced a new requirement to make social media accounts public for increased vetting.
The new rules applied to international students on J-1 visas, a work-study exchange program that about 60% of ski resorts use to hire workers from lift operators to dining hall food servers. Some ski resorts worried the increased scrutiny could mean staffing shortages.
“Initially, we had concerns about the social media vetting process slowing down interviews and getting the visas fully processed,” said Dave Byrd, the director of risk and regulatory affairs at the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA).
But he said it hasn’t been a problem yet. Ski areas are on track to hire more than 8,000 students on J-1 visas this winter, about the same as last year.
“There's strong interest in the program from the students in South and Central America, which is encouraging for us. So, we're in a really good position for this upcoming winter,” Byrd said.
On average, ski areas in the Rocky Mountain region hire 75 J-1 visa students each, according to the NSAA. Still, 3,400 jobs at ski areas across the U.S. went unfilled last year.
“That's really a reflection of the small labor pools where ski areas are typically located – in rural, mountainous communities. It's a reflection that our local workers want year-round positions, as opposed to seasonal positions,” Byrd said.
On the other hand, Taos Ski Valley in New Mexico, an independently owned resort, reported that focusing on competitive wages and dependable transportation has boosted interest among local workers.
“We’ve seen such strong local demand for our jobs that we’ve been able to rebalance how we use the J-1 program,” said Suzie Benton, the director of human resources, in an emailed statement. “Overall, our hiring and retention efforts are in a strong place.”
In Colorado, the trade group representing resorts said it’s “optimistic” about securing seasonal employees on J-1 visas this winter.
“So far, we haven’t experienced major problems with the process, and we’ll be keeping an eye on how things develop as we get into the season,” said Melanie Mills, the president and CEO of Colorado Ski Country USA.
Going forward, President Trump is proposing steep cuts to the State Department, which could further hamper visa processing. Byrd said the J-1 program has garnered bipartisan support, but he said his association will continue to emphasize its value for rural communities.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Boise State Public Radio, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio and KJZZ in Arizona as well as NPR, with support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
