There are nearly 4.6 million unemployed workers in six major H-2B occupations: Unemployed workers in selected H-2B occupations, February 2020 and February 2021
| Number of unemployed (in thousands) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Occupation | Feb 2021 | Feb 2020 |
| Total, all occupations, 16 years and over | 10,486 | 6,218 |
| Food preparation and serving related occupations | 1,041 | 518 |
| Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations | 628 | 397 |
| Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations | 141 | 183 |
| Construction and extraction occupations | 1,003 | 604 |
| Production occupations | 579 | 448 |
| Transportation and material moving occupations | 1,166 | 682 |
| Total unemployed workers in selected H-2B occupations | 4,558 | 2,832 |
Notes: Numbers are in thousands. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. Dash indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria (values not shown where base is less than 75,000). Effective with January 2020 data, occupations reflect the introduction of the 2018 Census occupational classification system, derived from the 2018 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC). No historical data have been revised. Data for 2020 are not strictly comparable with earlier years.
Source: Adapted from U.S. Department of Labor, “Table A-30. Unemployed Persons by Occupation and Sex,” Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey. Household data, not seasonally adjusted, March 5, 2021.