America’s labor shortage crisis has been exacerbated by immigration restrictions that have reduced the number of both skilled and unskilled workers.
Between the lines: Most of the labor scarcity blame has been aimed at expanded unemployment benefits, hard-to-find child care and low wages. But there is a fourth leg to the stool.
By the numbers: Immigrant and non-immigrant visas issued during the year ended October 2020 were down by nearly five million, or 54%, from 2019.
- 572,587 fewer people received temporary or permanent worker visas (H, L, O, P, Q, J, and E) in 2020, a 44% drop from 1.3 million in 2019.
- The most significant drop-offs were for J and Q visas, for work- and study-based programs like au pairs, camp counselors and cultural exchange. Those were down 68% and 63%, respectively.
- H-visas for specialty work, temporary agricultural and non-agricultural work fell by the smallest percentage (24%).
Dan Primack & Hope King, Axios, June 17, 2021
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