Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 11/9/18

The Labor Department is trying to bring the application process for temporary employment visas into the 21st Century. DOL will publish a proposed rule in the Federal Register today to require U.S. employers seeking workers under the H-2A and H-2B programs — for seasonal farm labor and non-agricultural labor, respectively — to first advertise the jobs online instead of in newspapers, reports Pro Employment & Immigration's Ted Hesson.

The proposal follows another plan DOL unveiled two weeks ago to use an electronic system for issuing decisions on H-2A applications. The actions are part of a coordinated effort by the Trump administration to modernize the system, which involves the departments of Labor, State, Agriculture and Homeland Security.

Perdue calls on Congress for broader fix: Perdue said in a statement Thursday that the administrative changes are one way to modernize the H-2A system so that it's less cumbersome and expensive for employers, but he argued congressional action is needed to "fully" address chronic farm labor shortages.

H-2A visas have seen double-digit growth since 2012, despite industry's complaint that the system is a bureaucratic nightmare. That growth is due in part to both the Obama and Trump administrations cracking down on undocumented immigrants. U.S. farms hired more than 242,700 temporary workers in fiscal 2018, a 21 percent increase over the previous year.