U.S. Chamber Urges Immigration Reform Action -- Mexican Workers Needed for Essential Jobs Due to Labor Shortage

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States Chamber of Commerce today urged lawmakers to support a "sensible, workable immigration policy" that expands the foreign temporary worker program and allows immigrant workers to earn legal status to help address U.S. labor shortages and fuel economic growth.

"Almost 40 percent of all U.S. jobs do not require any post-secondary education and three-quarters don't require a college degree," said Chamber President and CEO Thomas Donohue, testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee. "Our country depends on immigrants — especially those from Mexico — to fill these jobs, but many are discouraged by our outdated and unworkable immigration policy."

By 2008, the U.S. economy will produce an estimated 161 million jobs — to be filled by just 154 million American workers. Construction, hotels, restaurants and other sectors that rely heavily on unskilled and semi-skilled labor — or "essential" workers — will be particularly hard hit by a shrinking U.S. labor pool.

"The concept is simple – there are jobs here that cannot be filled, and there are workers in Mexico to fill them — and fill them legally," said Donohue. "We won't close the worker shortage gap unless we make it easier for immigrants to fill these jobs."

The Chamber advocates creating a temporary worker program that is workable, timely and matches willing immigrants to jobs in this country when American workers are not available, while allowing immigrants already working and paying taxes in the United States to earn valid, legal status.

The Chamber is planning to hold a conference on immigration reform issues on September 19 and is a leader of the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition, an employer group working to address the unskilled and semi-skilled labor shortage.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation, representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector and region.

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