The president-elect has made no secret of his desire to have businesses across Chicago and the rest of the nation employ American workers before immigrants, but one prominent financial strategist believes the nation is already facing a serious shortage of qualified, native-born workers. Per CNBC, some of the concern centers around a bill that would hinder immigrant access to H-1B visas, which are designed for foreign workers who have specialized knowledge in a given area.
The strategist believes that, if passed, the bill would only further limit the nation’s access to well-qualified professionals. He also expressed concern about any legislation that would keep qualified immigrants from accepting U.S. jobs that are tough to fill with native-born workers.
In a recent analysis, The Center for Immigration Studies found that immigrants make up most the workforce in six out of 472 civilian occupations recognized in the United States, and that they also account for more than a quarter of the workforce in 67 other positions. The center also acknowledged that many of the jobs thought to be largely immigrant-dominated, such as that of a taxi driver, housekeeper or construction worker, are actually predominantly filled by native-born employees.
The Center for Immigration Studies was also quick to point out that there are many factors that affect employment statistics in America, and that the number of immigrants compared to natives working in certain positions varies broadly based on geography. It was also noted that, contrary to popular belief, not every job filled by an immigrant is one that would have otherwise gone to a native worker.
