The Biden team campaigned on the issue that there would be a change in immigration policy after being elected, and those changes are beginning to occur. There is a shortage of manpower in the United States economy in the current emergency situation, and workers of all classes and industries are needed for entry-level positions. Agricultural workers have been in high demand for many years, and the program governing farm workers has been a very successful model of how good policy can be a real economic positive. Now other industries will have an opportunity to use the same human resources strategy.
Meeting the manpower need
Recent conferences over the past year with corporate heads have been focused on industry requests for more migrant workers across the entire economy. Many company officials were even stressing that it could be the difference between maintaining a viable profit or going in the red with few other alternatives. Immigration attorneys also supplied statistics and other details in support of the industry requests regarding the difficulties many workers and employers had previously faced.
DHS to the rescue
Even with the immigrant distractions happening in the political realm, the Department of Homeland Security recognized the information being submitted by the industry management teams presented a valid issue. The result was the addition of 22,000 temporary H2-B immigration work visas for businesses that would attest to the absolute necessity of needing the manpower for avoiding revenue losses at the end of the fiscal year, further impacting company stockholders.
The United States is assuredly a transitioning economy with a new focus on energy and climate issues, and many companies will have a wide range of manpower needs. In addition, these additional immigration visas will include companies recruiting highly-educated talent from various parts of the globe who can be a real asset to both their new employers and the national economy as a whole.