Foreign worker program may hit Cedar Point’s 6.5K job plans
Cedar Point is hoping to hire as many as 6,500 employees this spring, both full and part-time, amid ongoing uncertainty over a State Department program that typically brings thousands of foreign workers to Ohio’s summer resort communities.
The amusement park this week announced plans for both in-person and virtual hiring events on Saturday, part of an ongoing effort to gear up for the 2021 season.
Last year, during a season significantly disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, Cedar Point had difficulty staffing the park, bringing in workers from shuttered sister Cedar Fair parks that were unable to open because of government restrictions.
Part of the staffing issues stemmed from a ban last year on the issuance of most foreign visas, an effort by then-President Donald Trump to protect U.S. workers amid high unemployment rates caused by the pandemic.
Included in the ban was the J-1 visa program, created to promote cultural exchange and typically issued to students and short-term workers.
In recent years, Cedar Point has drawn as many as 1,600 employees, or 20-25% of its seasonal workforce, from overseas.
Cedar Point’s location, at least an hour from the metro areas of Cleveland and Toledo, makes hiring there more challenging than other parks, including Kings Island, said industry consultant Dennis Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services in Cincinnati.
Other summertime resort communities in Ohio, including
Put-in-Bay and Genevaon-the-Lake, also rely on the J-1 program for seasonal hires.
The program has, over the years, attracted some criticism from politicians and others, who argue that U.S. companies take advantage of foreign workers and could do a better job of hiring American employees.
The visa ban extends through the end of this month, although it’s possible it could be extended or altered as part of a broader look at U.S. immigration policy. A State Department spokesman referred questions about the program’s future to the White House; a White House spokesman did not respond to an email seeking comment.
Even if the program resumes this spring, it isn’t likely to be much help to employers this summer, as the overseas hiring process can take months.
Cedar Point communications director Tony Clark
said the park would welcome back overseas workers. “If a potential associate has a J-1 visa and can travel to the U.S., they are eligible for hire at the park,” he said. “We also enjoy the diversity this brings to our workforce and the guest experience.”
Last year, a lack of foreign workers compounded an already challenging hiring season for Cedar Point, which didn’t get permission from the state to open until mid-May. The park ultimately opened in mid-July.
Some rides and retail operations remained shuttered for most of the summer. Cedar Fair eventually brought in employees from closed parks, including Carowinds in North Carolina, to help in Sandusky.
Staffing issues also contributed to the park’s decision not to open Cedar Point Shores last year, according to park officials.
Cedar Point announced last month that the waterpark would reopen this year
on May 29.
Industry consultant Speigel predicted that seasonal theme parks, including Cedar Point, shouldn’t have too much trouble hiring staff this year, in part because so many restaurant and retail workers remain out of work. “I think we will see some people migrate from those areas into the theme parks,” he said.
He added, however, that planned gaps in the Cedar Point calendar may indicate that the park is already anticipating staffing issues at the beginning and end of the summer season, when college students are typically less available.
The park calendar, announced last month, includes two weeks in May and two weeks in August when the park will be open weekends only. It’s the first time in recent years that the park hasn’t been open daily from mid-May through Labor Day.