The Agricultural Recruitment System (ARS)

Learn more about how ARS works in Massachusetts.

The ARS helps agricultural employers recruit qualified U.S. workers on a temporary or seasonal basis.

Before an agricultural employer is allowed to hire non-immigrant foreign workers through the H-2A program, they need to check that there aren't any qualified domestic workers available for open jobs. MassHire Department of Career Services (MDCS) uses ARS to match open agriculture jobs to qualified workers both locally and across the country.

The ARS helps: 

• Employers recruit qualified U.S. workers at a local level for temporary or seasonal basis when there is a local labor shortage.
• Workers find transparent job opportunities with strictly enforced standards for wages, housing, and working conditions.

How the ARS works

Funded by the federal Wagner-Peyser Act, the ARS helps match workers with safe, reliable agricultural jobs:

• First, local jobseekers are matched with open roles
• If local workers can't be found, jobseekers across Massachusetts are matched with open roles
• If workers within Massachusetts can't be found, jobseekers across the country are matched with open roles

Learn more about the ARS system for U.S. workers