Texas Border Business
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The U. S. Chamber of Commerce
Our immigration system is broken and in desperate need of repair. The Chamber held an event, Putting Communities First: How Immigration Reform Will Drive Economic Growth, where business leaders described how the lack of reform is hurting their communities and impeding America’s global competitiveness.
Why it matters: Here are some facts.
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- There were 9.3 million workers unemployed in May and 9.2 million openings.
- In June, the federal government announced over 300,000 applications for 85,000 high skilled temporary H-1B visas it will issue in FY 2022.
- The U.S. can’t meet demand for seasonal workers. Companies had twice as many certified jobs this year than the statutory cap for foreign workers. This especially affects small, local businesses like landscapers, seafood processors, and construction firms.
We see the effects across the country:
- Hours cut: “One local restaurant had to close one of their two restaurants because they can’t find the workers to handle the increased demand,” explained Mary Beth Seward, President and CEO of the Vegas Chamber. “And they’re one of hundreds of stories.”
- Lost revenue: “Without the typical number of summer work students we hire we’re anticipating needing to adjust our schedule and operating times and possibly having a 30% revenue hit in August as a result, which is devastating,” said Denise Beckson, of New Jersey-based Morey’s Piers and Beachfront Water Parks.
- Less innovation: “If we have fewer working-age adults, it means less production and even less innovation, which is the key to economic growth,” said Andrew Tisch, Co-Chairman of the Board and Chairman of the Executive Committee, Loews Corp.
Bottom line: Being a nation of immigrants isn’t just part of America’s identity, it’s part of what has made us the most powerful and prosperous country in the world. For local communities’ immigration has to be part of the solution for future economic growth.
Learn more:
- Immigration reform is a component of the Chamber’s America Works initiative which works to address the worker shortage crisis facing America’s employers.
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