By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Variety News Staff

THE construction boom resulting from the upcoming military buildup on Guam has triggered a surge in the number of applications for the H2B alien labor program, labor officials said yesterday.
Erica Unpingco, deputy director of the Guam Department of Labor, said the Alien Labor Processing and Certification Division saw a 49 percent increase in the number of applications for the program this year, compared to the figure from the same period of last year.
Division administrator Greg Massey said Guam currently has 976 workers under the H2B program. He said this year, his office has received 48 applications that may bring in 1,200 workers. Most of the applications were filed by construction companies.
“We know that this activity will continue in the next few years and we are preparing Guam employers by making sure they have the latest information on the alien labor certification program,” Unpingco said.
The local labor department yesterday hosted a labor conference in Adelup, where federal and local labor officials provided employers updates on issues related to changes in local and federal labor laws.
“Part of our mandate is to ensure that these foreign workers receive adequate housing and that their pays are comparable to the prevailing wage. We want to make sure that foreign workers know their rights as workers in a U.S. territory,” Unpingco said.
The H-2B worker program allows the hiring of alien workers in diverse industries if the needed skills cannot be found within the jurisdiction. The shortage of skilled workers in the construction industry compels local contractors to tap workers from the Philippines and China to meet the industry’s growing demand.
At the labor conference, Guam economist Gary Hiles said Guam has about $1 billlion active contracts.
Massey said the new law that removes the restriction on the hiring of H2 workers on federal projects in military installations has contributed to the increase in the number of applications for the alien labor program.
Since 1990 there has been a congressionally-mandated cap of 66,000 on the visas that can be issued annually. The national cap for this year has been closed.