The deportations ordered by President Donald Trump are not only affecting immigrant communities, but also employers who rely on foreign labour. Declining production and shortages of essential workers are becoming a problem for several sectors in the United States.
Labour Shortages in Key Industries
Rebeca Shi, director of the American Business Immigration Coalition in Illinois, noted that deportations have hit not only individuals with criminal records, as the government has indicated, but also essential workers in sectors such as agriculture, construction and manufacturing.
In a web conference, business leaders noted that due to fear of detention, many immigrants have stopped showing up for work, which has slowed down operations in various industries. According to the coalition, some companies have reported a 50 per cent decrease in production.
Deportations: Impact on Agriculture and Other Key Sectors
The most visible impact is on the agricultural sector, especially food production. Matt Teagarden of the Kansas Cattlemen’s Association said that immigrants are critical to the country’s food harvest. He also called for immigration reform to legalise law-abiding workers. ‘If we don’t have these workers, we will be forced to import food, which puts our national security at risk,’ he said.
The lack of immigrants is also affecting other sectors with a high demand for labour. Currently, there are an estimated 1.7 million vacancies in areas such as health care and manufacturing, and a shortage of immigrant workers could reduce the US Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 4.2%.
The Care Sector Needs Immigrant Workers
Another crucial sector affected is elderly care, where immigrants account for 80 per cent of the workforce. Adam Lampert, director of a care company in Texas, warned that deportations will drive up costs in the sector because of the need to raise wages to attract local workers.
As the industry grows rapidly, more nurses and caregivers will be needed, but the country does not have enough local labour to fill these vacancies.
Against this backdrop, the American Business Immigration Coalition launched a campaign to urge Congress and the White House to push for immigration reform to regularise immigrants who contribute to the country and ensure US competitiveness in the global economy. Business leaders insist on the need to find balanced, bipartisan solutions to prevent the lack of essential labour from further hurting the country’s economy.
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