The Donald Trump administration’s toughened immigration crackdown policy is directly affecting the U.S. labor market. As the departure of the labor market accelerates not only for illegal immigrants but also for some legal residents, the shortage of manpower is intensifying across field-based industries such as agriculture, construction, and service industries.
According to the Pew Research Center’s analysis of preliminary data from the U.S. Census Bureau on Monday, about 1.2 million immigrants disappeared from the labor market between January and the end of July this year. The figure includes not only illegal immigrants but also legal residents. It is the first time in decades that the number of immigrants in the U.S. has decreased.
Immigrants account for about 20% of the total U.S. labor force. In particular, 45% of agricultural, forestry and fishing workers, 30% of construction workers, and 24% of service workers are immigrants. In the field of home health care, immigrants account for 43% of the population. Stephanie Kramer, a senior researcher at the Pew Research Center, pointed out, “The fact that net inflow of immigrants turned negative reflects the actual decline, not just a statistical error.”
President Trump has vowed to expel millions of illegal immigrants and emphasized dangerous criminal-centered deportations, but in reality, most detainees have no criminal history. At the same time, the number of illegal border crossings has decreased significantly. “Millions of people have crossed the border in recent years, but the inflow has virtually stopped now,” said Pia Orenius, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. “This has a huge impact on the ability to create new jobs.”
There is a clear workforce gap in construction and agriculture. According to an analysis of government employment data by the American Association of Construction Industry (AGC), construction jobs have decreased in half of the major metropolitan areas in the United States. 7,200 jobs were lost in Riverside, California, San Bernardino and Ontario, and 6,200 jobs were lost in Los Angeles, Long Beach and Glendale. “Many builders want to hire more workers, but tightening immigration controls are hampering supply,” said Ken Simonson, chief economist at AGC.
The health care sector is also of great concern. Many of the home care service workers are immigrants. “Without immigrants on site, there could be serious gaps in crop harvesting, hospital and nursing home operations, and home care services,” experts warn.
The Associated Press said, “As ripple effects such as disruptions in agricultural production, delays in construction sites, and lack of supply of care services spread, there are growing criticisms that it could weaken the basic physical strength of the U.S. economy.”
SAM KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
