Legal Immigration: A Solution to the Widespread Job Vacancy Crisis

A widespread issue in plain view. Companies of all sizes and sectors are facing a similar predicament: they have many vacancies but not enough qualified candidates to fill them. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of November 1st, there were approximately 10 million open jobs and 6 million unemployed individuals. While various factors such as the Covid-19 pandemic, an aging population, demands for higher pay and flexible work conditions, and lack of childcare have been cited as contributors to the employment gap, experts assert that legal immigration is the primary cause of one-third of the total gap.
 
Legal Immigration: The Core Issue in Addressing the Job Vacancy Crisis
 
The issue of legal immigration in America is often cited as being caused by outdated and flawed procedures for recruiting skilled professionals, leading to a decrease in the number of highly skilled foreign workers entering the United States.

Why is this significant? Immigrants have a significant impact on the economy and society. A study from the Immigration Research Center in June 2022 found that 44% of the Fortune 500 companies, some of the most well-known and powerful organizations globally, were founded by immigrants or the offspring of immigrants.
 
Marty Walsh, the US Labor Secretary, stated: "While we are concerned about a recession and inflation, I believe a greater crisis will occur if we do not increase the number of workers in our society through immigration."
However, the reduction of immigrants in our workforce also poses other concerns, particularly in two crucial industries, one of which could have potentially fatal outcomes.
 
Impact of Legal Immigration Restrictions on the STEM and Healthcare Industries
 
The Biden-Harris administration highlighted the importance of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in a White House press release, stating that “Our history is filled with examples of how America’s ability to attract global talent has spurred path-breaking innovation.”

To give an idea of the industry's dependence on foreign-born talent, New American Economy reports that foreign-born professionals in STEM constitute almost 25% of the entire industry's workforce. Despite this reliance, current policies, including historically low H-1B caps, continue to result in the loss of new talent.
 
Shortage in Healthcare Industry
 
A shortage of labor in the healthcare industry is a long-standing issue. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, news reports often highlighted the severe shortage of nursing staff. Factors commonly cited as contributing to the shortage include the pandemic, burnout, and retirement. However, legal immigration and foreign-born workers have traditionally played a vital role in the industry.

According to the National Immigration Forum, Immigrants constitute 15% of nurses, over 25% of health aides, 38% of home health aides, and 28% of physicians and surgeons. The healthcare industry in America heavily depends on a constant influx of foreign-born workers. Without this influx, a significant gap is to be expected, which is exactly what has occurred.

According to Mercer, by 2025, the United States is projected to experience a shortage of over 500,000 healthcare workers. A shortage of this magnitude will have long-lasting consequences, including longer waiting times, closures of hospitals and care facilities, and patients having to travel long distances to receive necessary care. These issues are already being observed with the current shortage, and they will only worsen as fewer legal immigrants can enter the country.
 
Advancing Legal Immigration

Until changes are made to policies and an increase in foreign-born professionals is observed, it is important to support those currently going through the immigration process in the US. This may involve meeting the needs of every client and making the process as smooth as possible, as it is within their power to do so. Immigration professionals require efficient tools to simplify global immigration case management and compliance for all parties involved.
 
REFERENCE:
Outlook: Legal Immigration Challenges Across Industries
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/outlook-legal-immigration-challenges-5728848/