The government’s plan to reduce work permits for foreigners

The arrival of the Coronavirus forced governments around the world to make sudden decisions to protect the economy and public health of local populations.

In the case of the US, President Trump implemented several measures to mitigate the impact of the pandemic in North American territories.

One of the decisions was to reduce work permits issued by the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) for foreigners.

Thousands of foreign workers specialized in certain areas of the market travel annually to the country to work temporarily in local companies or in the food supply chain.

They greatly help local markets and the economy constantly benefits from their work.

However, the current government of the US presents several arguments explaining why it is necessary to reduce work permits for foreigners during the health crisis.

Let’s see some of them:

• The current administration considers that giving employment opportunities to foreigners is taking away the option for local workers.
• The government declares that all resources should be available only to legal citizens during the Coronavirus health crisis.
• Due to the current unemployment rate, any job opportunity must be offered to the local population first.

However, despite the government’s intentions to safeguard local resources for citizens, many areas of the US market are already suffering labor shortages, including the food industry, which is a huge concern for the population.

The food supply chain during the health crisis

The US food industry receives thousands of foreigners annually who work in different areas of the market, for instance:

• Foreign workers who plant and harvest the food that supply local markets.
• Thousands of foreign workers are part of the food transportation industry.
• The meat industry benefits greatly from foreign workers and is currently suffering a labor shortage.
• Thousands of foreign workers come to the US to be part of the food packaging industry.

Without the help of the foreign workforce, local markets suffer from product shortages, and American families also suffer the consequences.

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History contradicts the opinion of the current government

The US has gone through several economic crises in its history and we must take those experiences into account to understand how we can overcome the current crisis.

The most recent economic crisis, similar to the one we are facing today, was the Great Recession that took place between 2007 and 2009.

During that time, the local government decided to prohibit the entry of foreign workers and that created many negative repercussions for multiple reasons:

• Industries that did not have foreign workers had a shortage of production and could not supply market demands.
• The areas of the market that used the help of foreign workforce were able to survive and overcome the economic crisis.
• Medium and small companies needed more personnel to supply the needs of the population, however, there were not enough local workers trained in specific work areas and many of them had to close due to the economic crisis.

Besides the history of the Great Recession, many experts and recent studies suggest that the foreign workforce is essential to overcome the current juncture.

Let’s see some of the arguments:

• Foreign workers specialize mainly in areas such as construction, food production, food transportation, health, inter alia. Therefore, they are necessary to constantly supply local markets.
• Foreign workers are known for creating small and medium-sized companies that offer more job opportunities and wages for the local population.
• They are also consumers, therefore, they constantly boost the economy.
• Thousands of doctors and nurses are foreigners and are the front line in the battle against the Coronavirus.
• Experts say that the US needs the help of specialized foreign workers to overcome the economic crisis caused by the pandemic.

Thus, the repercussions of reducing foreign workforce can be devastating for the US.

It is important for the current government to rethink this idea taking into account the experiences obtained during previous economic crises.

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