These classes include skilled and unskilled workers who lack bachelor's degrees who are coming to the United States temporarily to perform jobs that are temporary or seasonal in nature. This class requires prearranged employment and a certification from the U.S. Labor Department that U.S. workers are unavailable for the job. The initial period of admission is authorized by the Labor Department and INS, and is not to exceed one year.
Extensions are available in limited circumstances for a maximum period of three years.
The result is a serious shortage of qualified workers in an industry that's seeing the most growth it's had since the pre-oil bust days of 1983. According to the Labor Department, the construction field will face a shortage of 1 million skilled workers by 2005. At 6 million workers, the industry needs nearly 250,000 men and women a year, according to the Associated Builders and Contractors. Part of the problem, experts say, is trades are not passed down from one generation to the next. The lack of trained workers force some employers to accept less trained applicants who need more preparation.