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Human Resources

FIGURE 2: COUNTIES WITH LARGEST CONCENTRATIONS OF SKI AREAS COMPARED WITH
UNEMPLOYMENT RATES (MARCH 2017)

Summit County, CO (5 ski areas) 1.3% Gallatin County, MT (4 ski areas) 2.7%

Pitkin County, CO (5 ski areas) 1.8% Windsor County, VT (4 ski areas) 2.8%

Routt County, CO (3 ski areas) 1.8% Merrimack County, NH (5 ski areas) 2.9%

Gunnison County, CO (2 ski areas) 1.8% Windham County, VT (5 ski areas) 3.1%

Grand County, CO (3 ski areas) 2.1% Salt Lake County, UT (4 ski areas) 3.2%

La Plata County, CO (3 ski areas) 2.2% Carroll County, NH (6 ski areas) 3.4%

Teton County, WY (3 ski areas) 2.7% Clackamas County, OR (4 ski areas) 3.6%

Summit County, UT (3 ski areas) 2.7% Weber County, UT (3 ski areas) 3.7%

Grafton County, NH (5 ski areas) 2.7% Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (March 2017 unemployment rates)

Colorado’s 31 ski areas, the state has twice as many skier visits unemployment rate has dropped to a mind-blowing 1.3 percent
as the next largest ski state, California. as of March 2017 (one human resources director at a Summit
The lack of available seasonal workers is not just plaguing County ski area wryly noted that their ski area is so desperate for
Colorado ski areas and mountain communities. Utah—the seasonal employees, if a job candidate can breathe, they will hire
third largest ski state in terms of skier visits—also has enormous him). Other counties with multiple ski areas are also facing sig-
challenges finding workers. Indeed, The New York Times nificantly low rates of unemployment, all well below the 4 percent
chronicled these challenges Utah faces finding workers, where unemployment rate that economists consider as effectively “full
the unemployment rate dropped to 3.1 percent in March. “[L] employment (see figure 2).
abor shortages [in Utah] are weighing on overall economic Simply put, the low rate of unemployment in ski
growth,” The Times reported this week. “Todd Bingham, the states, and in specific ski counties, is breathtaking. One
president of the Utah Manufacturers Association . . . said ‘[i]s it would have to ignore reality to refuse to acknowledge
holding the economy back? I think it definitely is.’” that the ski industry—and all related businesses in rural
In the 37 states that have ski areas, many of our larger mountain communities—are in critical need of help with
ski states have unemployment levels that are well below finding reliable seasonal workers to staff our businesses.
the national rate of 4.4 percent. In fact, according to data In short, allowing more H-2b visa workers will not take
released in March by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, some of jobs away from American workers, particularly in the
the larger ski states have seasonally adjusted unemployment ski industry.
rates well below the 4 percent threshold that economists With luck, Secretary Kelly will acknowledge this labor cri-
deem as “full employment” (see figure 1). sis, and provide relief to our rural mountain communities by
Notably, this small handful of states accounted for nearly 60 exercising his discretion to raise the cap on H-2b workers imme-
percent of all skier visits in the US this past ski season. And while diately. NSAA has implored the secretary to make this determi-
these statistics reflect statewide unemployment rates in March, nation about the H-2b visa program as soon as possible, so that
even in the largest counties with concentrations of ski areas, ski areas and other businesses in rural mountain communities
the unemployment rates are even more stark, underscoring the can begin the process now to have H-2b visa workers on staff in
need for workers. In fact, in Summit County, Colorado—home time for this coming winter.
to five large destination ski resorts—the county alone receives In the meantime, if you know of anyone looking for a
more skier visits than the entire state of Utah. Summit County’s job, we have some good suggestions.

14 | NSAA JOURNAL | SUMMER 2017