Cities across the country are bridging labor gaps by hiring asylum seekers with work permits

A recent study by the American Community Survey, administered by the Census Bureau, revealed just how much immigrants, including undocumented ones, are contributing to the U.S. labor force. For starters, they make up 17% of the workforce, helping bridge labor gaps in industries like healthcare, agricultures and construction, while also providing a spirit of entrepreneurship, accounting for a quarter of new employer businesses in the U.S.

Many leaders across the country have been getting on board with the trend. During the recent U.S. Conference of Mayors, for example, officials from over 1,400 cities with populations of 30,000 or more, urged federal lawmakers to establish something called the heartland visa as a means to bring high-skilled immigrants and entrepreneurs to communities experiencing population and economic decline.

But highly-skilled immigrant workers are only part of the story. As a recent article from Bloomberg explained, some cities across the country are tapping into asylum seekers to help fill spots related to manual labor.

In the case of Denver, the city created a city program to hire asylum seekers — primarily from South and Central America — who have obtained federal work permits. As the article explains, Denver "has an unemployment rate rate slightly below the national average and a highly educated populace that shies away from manual labor", adding that "while some employers might be able to lure foreign workers through the H1-B visa program, that isn't an option for cooks and dishwashers."

Denver's program is one of several initiatives across the United States aimed at connecting companies in need of workers with migrants seeking employment. Proponents argue that these programs benefit businesses struggling to hire, provide a lifeline to migrants, and relieve financial pressure on city and state budgets. The broader goal is to stimulate local economies and reduce government spending on migrant support.

In North Dakota, officials recently created the Office of Legal Immigration to address widespread worker shortages across industries. In a report released in May, the agency identified recent arrivals with work authorization as a potential resource for local businesses willing to take them on.

And in New York City, which has seen some 200,000 migrant arrivals since 2022, the state Department of Labor is seeking to connect migrants with work permits to employers open to hiring them, identifying more than 45,000 jobs that asylum seers might apply for, particularly in the food service and hospitality industries.

These project have, however, not escaped the politics of immigration, with many arguing that newcomers displace native-born workers. But some, like Denver bar entrepreneur Mark Berzins, are quick to point out that those same people tend to also criticize immigrant dependance on handouts.

"You really can't have it both ways," he explained to Bloomberg. "You can't complain and say, these guys are a burden on the system, and we're having to put them in housing and all these things, and then complain when they're taking a job so that they can pay their own way."