The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Ski industry concerned over possible foreign worker shortage
By Kendra Walker
The Colorado ski industry has recently expressed concerns about potential slowdowns and processing delays for J-1 visas that could worsen existing labor shortages. However, Vail Resorts says that while it is a strong advocate of the J-1 visa program, it doesn’t anticipate any notable impacts to staffing this winter.
A J-1 visa is a non-immigrant visa that promotes cultural exchanges for people from other countries participating in temporary work and education programs in the United States. Many ski resorts across Colorado and the nation, including Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR), rely on J-1 visa programs to supplement their seasonal workforce.
As recently reported in the Aspen Times, the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) said it has heard from ski areas that are worried about a potential shortage of seasonal foreign workers on J-1 visas this winter. The NSAA said some ski areas have expressed concern over “longer vetting timelines, new social media screening requirements and significant staffing reductions at U.S. consulates. While comprehensive federal data are not yet available, these reports suggest that delays could limit the number of J-1 participants arriving before the start of the winter season.”
In rural mountain communities such as Crested Butte that often already struggle to hire and house seasonal workers each year, these strains in the J-1 vetting processes could impact ski area operations and hiring this year. According to the NSAA, Colorado on average employs 8,500 J-1 workers each year, including at ski areas, lodging properties and other rural businesses.
The Crested Butte News reached out to CBMR for comment on how the potential J-1 visa processing delays might impact the resort this winter. “For the past several years, Vail Resorts has been working to build a strong domestic seasonal workforce that comes back year after year,” said a Vail Resorts spokesperson. “Through dedicated investments to the employee experience, we have seen record high retention and return rates. That has allowed us to rely less on visa programs, including the J-1 program. Employees with a visa make up a very small percentage of our employee base – just about 5% total, so we aren’t anticipating any notable impact to our staffing. That being said, we are strong advocates of visa programs like J-1, given the cultural exchange they support.”
CBMR also recommended that the News reach out to the NSAA for additional information, but when we reached out to an NSAA spokesperson for comment, they redirected us to contact Vail Resorts on the topic since “Crested Butte is a Vail Resorts property.”
