Immigrants and Refugees Are the Future of the American Workforce. We Must Give Them the Language Skills They Need to Thrive.
When I was growing up in Philadelphia, my father was a union organizer. Many days, after school, I walked over to the union hall to get a ride home. I remember one union member in particular who spent a lot of time at my dad’s union hall. He was an immigrant who worked at a factory across the river in New Jersey, and he often peppered me with questions about my high school chemistry and biology classes. This man was genuinely interested in both subjects, and I remember how he could explain complex scientific concepts clearly. He seemed like he would have made a great teacher, though his English was hard to understand.
One day I asked my father: Who is this man? It turns out that this factory worker and union member who knew so much about science had been a doctor back in his home country but couldn’t get a medical license in the United States. Despite being shut out of his chosen profession here, he made the best of things by working hard, organizing his workplace, and building a good life for his family.
This immigrant’s story stayed with me as I moved from teaching public school to holding senior roles at the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education and the U.S. Department of Labor and now in my position as the president of WorkingNation. Whenever I meet talented workers limited only by their lack of English skills, I wonder where they might have ended up if only there were well-marked pathways to help them. Immigrants and refugees are indeed the future of the American workforce, and they need more support to improve their English so they can take part fully in American life.
Amid the Great Resignation and a surging U.S. economy, the demand for workers has vastly outpaced the supply of labor and led to historically high numbers of unfilled jobs. As of early this year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the United States had 6.3 million unemployed persons and more than 11 million open jobs.
For the time being, the number of job vacancies might continue to remain high. The number of Americans 65 and older grew by nearly a third over the past decade, and the pandemic accelerated the Baby Boomers’ rush to retirement. By 2034, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Americans 65 and older are projected to outnumber children for the first time in American history. The nation’s manufacturing and healthcare sectors, meanwhile, are bracing for continued long-term labor shortages.
The United States is just beginning to feel the effects of this dearth of skilled and talented workers. To solve this unprecedented employment crisis, companies can no longer use the same old methods to find new employees. We must build new pipelines and find innovative ways to produce workers with the skills that organizations need.
President Biden’s promise to expand skills-based hiring using federal and procurement dollars is a promising path forward. But talent pipelines must be built to connect employers to the enormous pool of newcomers to this country. Immigrants bring with them plenty of ability, but too many of them struggle to speak and write English.
Indeed, the language barrier remains an enormous obstacle with major implications. One-sixth of the American workforce currently is made up of people from other countries. Future immigrants and their children born here in the United States will account for nearly 90 percent of the nation’s population growth over the next four decades. They’ll add about 18 million people to the nation’s workforce, partially offsetting the retirements of Baby Boomers.
Immigrants and refugees add value to this country. According to a recent report from national nonprofit Jobs for the Future, immigrant and refugee workers contribute nearly $2 trillion annually to the nation’s gross domestic product. Immigrants proved their value as essential workers during the worst months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly 70% of all immigrants in the labor force are essential workers who hold low-paid and sometimes dangerous jobs in restaurants, on farms, and in hospitals and clinics. English proficiency means better pay, more promotions, and higher rates of retention. But America now can help only about 4% of adults who need to learn English. That’s far too much wasted potential.
Research has shown that companies that offer English-language adult-learning programs see a return on investment for their businesses of more than double. Companies like Amazon and restaurant chain Taziki’s Mediterranean Café are providing career-focused personalized language learning for workers who speak little or no English. This work-related benefit will undoubtedly unlock opportunities for both companies and their employees.
It makes good business sense to invest in these essential and capable workers by ensuring that they become proficient in English. To take full advantage of this abundance of new talent and expand opportunities, we must make certain that all have the tools – including language skills – they need to thrive.
