Seafood restaurants in Maryland claim that they cannot find US workers to fill the jobs as crab pickers. Draw a diagram of the crab pickers labor market to indicate this situation. If there was no immigration to the US, what would you recommend that the restaurants do?
Using your diagram, explain how the H-2b program impacts the market for crab pickers in Maryland.
Many people claim that immigrants take jobs from US workers. Why might the effects of immigration on the crab pickers market be different in this case? Use your diagram to clarify your answer.
Could you argue that that the migrant crab pickers are benefiting some US workers? Use a diagram to clarify your answer.
How do the crab pickers impact the seafood restaurant market (not the labor market)? Use a diagram to support your answer.
Based on your answers above, how would you characterize the overall impact of the policy allowing migrant crab pickers on the communities where they work?