As the world approaches the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s no dispute that its effects have been wide-reaching. The United States continues to experience a labor shortage, spurring debate as to how immigrant labor contributes to this shortage.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (“BLS”), 11 million jobs in the United States are currently unfilled, exceeding the expectations of economists. An increase in hospitality jobs, including hotel and food service positions, is partly responsible for the increase. Despite the increase in job openings, the number of new hires has remained steady at approximately 6.5 million.
Given these staggering statistics, the question becomes, what is causing this labor shortage and how can it best be addressed? According to a recent article by CNN, a number of factors contribute to the shortage, including an increase in the number of Americans choosing to retire and a lack of available and affordable childcare in the United States.
Another explanation for the labor shortage is the legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fearing exposure to COVID-19 or its variants, many Americans who otherwise would return to the workforce cannot or will not do so. It goes without saying that the current labor shortage is influenced by a wide array of factors, including federal unemployment insurance and vaccine-related controversies. However, an often-overlooked factor is the lack of foreign workers able...
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