Data released by the US Department of Labor on May 7, 2019 showed 7.5 million jobs open nationwide as of March 2019, and a shortfall of a million people seeking work. As reported here, this represents the 11th straight month that the number of job openings greatly exceeded the number of job seekers.
In Maine, the state Department of Labor’s most recent unemployment rate of 3.3% for April 2019 sets a record 40th straight month of unemployment lower than 4.0%.
Meanwhile, in 2018, birth rates in the U.S. fell to their lowest level in 32 years, according to the Center for Disease Control’s National Vital Statistics System.
A recent VOX report looks at the need for workers across all sectors, including those that don’t require a college degree.
The trend of an aging workforce and not enough replacement workers continues, and will be exacerbated if our nation continues to strip immigrants legally here of their status, such as those with DACA and TPS, and to deny applications of those who qualify to immigrate legally.
The economic indicators all point to the conclusion that our nation needs more immigrants, not less. Policy makers in Washington D.C. should take heed.