Employers are increasingly relying on temporary visas to meet labor demands. Here's what some experts are saying about how to expand and reform existing programs.
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David Bier: If we want expansive, robust economic growth, we need the workers to be able to do the jobs that will increase that productivity and expand the economy. We're losing out every single year when those people go to other countries.
Stephanie Kelton: Welcome to the Best New Ideas in Money, a podcast for MarketWatch. I'm Stephanie Kelton. I'm an economist and a Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Stony Brook University.
Charles Passy: And I'm Charles Passy, a reporter at MarketWatch.
Stephanie Kelton: Each week we explore innovations in economics, finance, technology, and policy, that rethink the way we live, work, spend, save, and invest.
Charles Passy: Last week we talked about a problem, and to be specific, a population problem.
Stephanie Kelton: That's right, Charles. According to the Census Bureau, the US population grew at a slower rate in 2021 than in any other year since the founding of the nation. Worse yet, according to Congressional Budget Office projections, by 2043, we'll see more annual deaths in the United States than annual births.
Charles Passy: One major economic implication of a shrinking population is a shrinking labor force.
Stephanie Kelton: And that's a...
Ken Ranta, CEO of the District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board, is advising the public some election candidates are making inaccurate statements regarding the board and the work...