When the weather turns warm, hundreds of workers from different parts of the globe descend on coastal Delaware and Maryland in search of jobs and the U.S. dollar.

But this year, as the economic forecast for summer 2009 appears bleak, some are wondering if that may change.

Karen Clark, whose 15-year-old daughter has discovered finding a part-time job isn't easy, hopes it will.

"My daughter started working last summer and she had a hard time finding a job," she said. "Now, I'm thinking that we're going to have these people coming in when we have locals who need the work."

Carol Everhart, executive director of the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce, said about 2,000 foreign students visited coastal Delaware last year. But she expects that number will decrease this year as they realize the high number of unemployment.

"We do believe that we will see fewer foreign students because we're very aware that jobs are at a higher premium," she said. "There may not be as many (jobs) available to them."

When the economy was booming, few Americans were in search of new employment or second jobs. But times have changed, Everhart said, and now many of the foreign workers who have established a good rapport with their supervisors are expected to return to the same positions they held in recent years.

But Clark believes that will create hardships for area residents who are in dire need of income.

"Everybody seems to be under the opinion that people here don't want to work, that you can't find kids and actually get work out of them," she said. "With the economy in a nosedive, many of these jobs (held by foreign students) aren't even going to be within reach."

Not everyone is expecting lower numbers of student workers for the summer months. Melanie Pursell, a spokeswoman for the Ocean City Chamber of Commerce, said the community is still expecting more than 5,000 student workers.

"What we expect to see is that most foreign workers will only be able to have one job," she said. "Often what they do is they'll come over for a particular job, and then try to get a secondary job. What we found last year was that a lot came over and weren't able to find that second job because there just wasn't that much of a need. But we're still expecting to get as many students as we've had in the past."

Pursell also said Ocean City has enhanced its marketing and advertising during the past year and is expecting a strong summer in lieu of the economy, which means those workers will still be a necessity.

Margaret Pillas, an Ocean City Council member and owner of OC Babies, a family clothing store, said while a shortage isn't anticipated, the shop has felt the crunch of lower employment throughout the years.

"When the economy was up, we always had six student workers here," she said. "Now we're down to three. My husband and I have to work longer hours to make up the difference."

But Pillas is confident in the work force for summer 2009.

"When the students go home, they tell other students about us who sign up for the program and contact us directly," she said. "We're getting the information through, and that tells us that we're going to have enough help for the summer."

Even with the possibility that economic turmoil could cause workers to stay home this year, the consensus seems to be that seasonal businesses would be in trouble if foreign students were no longer available.

But Carol Smith, general manager of the Surf Club, a hotel in Dewey Beach, said foreign students don't always fit the bill. While her establishment hires four or five students each year, she makes an effort to hire locals as well.

"We interview area residents for our positions," she said. "It's not that we're just picking students from the travel program. We pick the best (applicants) that we can."

Mark Kane, manager of the Giant Food Store on Route 26 in Millville, said his business has always supported the exchange program, though it has been cutting back on the number of program hires throughout the years.

"We're trying to use as much of the local help as possible," he said. "The exchange students have been willing to do some jobs in the past that locals have not. They do fit the need and have been flexible when it comes to scheduling."

Everhart said American workers have, for the most part, declined to fill many of the area's open positions.

"In the past, we had an influx of students preparing for college," she said. "They needed that money, but then times got very, very good. Without the foreign students over the past several years, there would not have been enough employees and we would have been shorthanded."

Nobody knows that better than Kerry Page, a manager at Sea Esta Motel in Dewey Beach. His chain hires at least 20 foreign students each year and a reduction in that work force would be difficult, he said.

"You need them, especially during the summer," he said. "We can put up a help wanted ad on our marquee for a month and we may not get any U.S. citizens (to) apply. If it wasn't for the foreign workers, I don't know what we'd do."

According to Everhart, foreign workers are expected to start arriving in May. They typically hold more than one job, she said, and will stay through October.

source: delmarvanow.com