The Fourth of July has come and gone, and for Cape and Islands employers grappling with a worker shortage, reality has set in. This is going to be a rough summer.

Businesses are getting by hiring anyone who walks in the door, bringing on more students, even giving shifts to foreign workers brought to the United States by other companies, which is against the law. But training and overtime costs are starting to pile up, and some employers have had to turn away banquet business and cancel landscaping contracts, for example, because they dont have enough employees.

The popular PB Boulangerie Bistro in Wellfleet is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays due to difficulty finding staff. On the morning of the Fourth, a Nantucket innkeeper got a frantic call from another inn desperate for housekeepers, but had no one to spare. At least one Cape Cod cleaning company has started bringing in workers from Puerto Rico who are US citizens and dont need work visas.

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Lack of visa workers has Cape and Islands hotspots in a bind - Boston.com