H-2B Prevailing Wage Update Effective 7/1/2023

The wage rate for previously certified job orders remains the same

Over the holiday weekend, the Department of Labor (DOL) published its annual update to its Wage Library effective (July 1, 2023).

Note: The update applies only to new 2023 fall/winter or 2024 Spring Job Orders for which a 9141 Prevailing Wage Determination has not yet been issued. The wage rate for previously certified job orders remains the same.

As with prior years, we continue to see some wages increase depending on occupation and worksite area.

Why such a big change in the wages from one year to the next?

All data is reviewed by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) staff at both the state and federal level. Because the data is created from a sample of employers, rather than a required census, there are several possible explanations for anomalies in the data:

• When comparing data from the recent update to previous years data, a primary reason for differences may be the redefinition of the geographic areas.

• The data may have been calculated using a smaller or larger geographic area depending on the number and size of respondents in each area.

• The mix of high paying to low paying employers who were sampled, or who responded may have shifted. Additionally, the mix of union to non-union respondents in an area may have shifted.