Properly upskilling and supporting immigrants, refugees, and asylees can help remedy the nation's predicted labor shortage, according to a new report from Upwardly Global.
Jina Krause-Vilmar
According to the organization, which seeks to help immigrants into the U.S. workforce, almost all U.S. working-age population growth for the next two decades is expected to be composed of immigrants, refugees, asylees, and their children.
And yet, more than 2 million people in this community are unemployed or underemployed, with Black and Latino immigrants facing the most labor market exclusion, according to the report. At the same time, the U.S. is experiencing a labor shortage where there are 9 million job openings but less than 6 million people looking for work, said Jina Krause-Vilmar, president and CEO at Upwardly Global.
"At the national level, we know that there are labor shortages that are projected over the next 10 years across key industries,” said Emily Logo, a director at Upwardly Global and principal researcher and project manager on the report. “[In health care], we know over 3 million workers are anticipated needed by 2026.
“So, at a time when the national conversation is [how we are] finding the talent we need for thriving wage roles in key industries, we're simultaneously seeing a trend in the U.S. where we have more immigrant and refugee talent than ever before.”
Community colleges could potentially serve as a valuable source for immigrants to access affordable postsecondary education, upskilling and reskilling opportunities, and workforce preparation, the report noted.
“The point of this work is to showcase how investing in our immigrant and refugee community is not just about supporting them and their outcomes in the labor market, but really laddering back up to how we're advancing the national economy,” Logo said.
