The global Covid-19 pandemic produced more than physical and emotional illness, suffering, and death over the last two years. The virus also brought global economic paralysis that impacted the global supply chain and created historic worker shortages.
Bloomberg
last month reported that Toyota slashed September production by more
than one-third from 2020 levels. That same article shared Apple’s report
of $6 billion in lost sales because of supply chain issues impacting
their production.
A
trip to the grocery store or parents and grandparents searching for
special Christmas toys know that some products – products long taken for
granted as
rather universally available in the U.S – aren’t available or are in
short supply. Entire product lines – cookies, crackers, etc. – disappear
from the grocery shelves for undetermined periods.
Worker
shortages – both in lower skill and service industry jobs and higher
skill manufacturing and even some professional pursuits – have developed
with
people quitting their jobs over pandemic issues. Some four million
Americans quit their jobs in April of this year alone.
Globally,
countries are competing for immigrant workers as a means to offset
worker shortages and related supply chain issues as inflation threatens
to
slow or stall the economic recovery from the pandemic. The U.S., Great
Britain, Germany, Canada, and Japan head that list, as Foreign Policy
magazine in October presented this provocative headline: “Who Will Win
the Global War for Talent? After the Great Lockdown
Will Come the Great Migration.”
Should
the U.S., should Mississippi reconsider the question of illegal
immigration less from the xenophobic standpoint of false claims that
these immigrants
are “taking jobs” from Mississippians who want to work and more toward
having a sufficient workforce willing to work?
As
we’ve watched this issue evolve over the last 40 years here, two
primary truths remain on a constant collision course. First,
impoverished, desperate
people living in often dangerous foreign countries come to the U.S. to
seek a better life. In many cases, they are willing to risk their lives
in doing so illegally. Once here, they are ready to accept low-wage,
low-skill jobs that many Americans refuse to
do to get a start here that affords them a chance to progress.
In many cases in the poultry and timber industries, immigrant laborers were actively recruited to the U.S. by some in their industries. Labor “brokers” cropped up to meet that demand. Covid-19 has contributed to that system.
Second,
there is an undeniable and ready market for immigrant labor (legal or
otherwise) in this state and nation. In Mississippi, immigrants are more
than
willing to gut our chickens, plant our trees, process our catfish,
harvest our sweet potatoes, perform the most arduous construction labor,
cook our food and wash our dishes in restaurants, and clean our rooms
in our hotels. The companies extending jobs to
those immigrants profit from their labors.
But
despite a concentration of the jobs filled by immigrants in Mississippi
in the food services, hospitality, maintenance, agricultural, and
construction
sectors, 30 percent of those workers possess undergraduate or graduate
college degrees and 49 percent have high school diplomas.
Who
are these Mississippi immigrants? The American Immigration Council
identifies 70,860 immigrants in Mississippi (two percent of the state’s
total population)
as of 2020, with 38 percent naturalized American citizens and 35
percent undocumented or otherwise illegal representing one percent of
the state’s population. Countries of origin include Mexico (23 %),
Guatemala (10%), India (8%), the Philippines (4%), and
Vietnam (4%).
The
AIC documents that as about three percent of the state’s labor force,
immigrant workers generate about $1.5 billion in spending power and pay
$550.6
million in federal, state, and local taxes. The opposing Federation for
American Immigration Reform (FAIR) counters that illegal immigration is
by far a net fiscal drain on Mississippi taxpayers.
Yet illegal immigration and immigration issues generally are vastly overstated issues in Mississippi. Neither demographics nor fiscal reality supports the political alarm present. Globally, nations are looking to change immigration quotas, caps, and visa regulations to solve supply chain and worker shortage challenges.
Sid Salter is a syndicated columnist. Contact him at sidsalter@sidsalter.com.
17 comments:
Biden says no more ICE raids....So I guess Not. ? White Africans and Mexicans taking all the labor jobs in the Delta.
Those "immigrants" understand that in the U.S. those essentials like hospitalization, education, housing, and welfare are provided at taxpayer expense even if you don't make enough in wages to provide. All they need to do is get here. The rest is gravy. The employers know the same and they will pocket the temporary benefit of a cheap workforce and abandon them to
government welfare when they no longer need them. It's a recipe for long term disaster but the politicos now in power only think of their short term success. More government dependents, that's all.
THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE: Rome became so morally impotent and weak that they had to import outsiders to not only work, but fight for them. Next came the FALL.
Doesn't a plural 'issues' in the sentence require 'have' as the verb? Asking for a friend...... The press and media appear to be in a steady decline in even the most basic of skills.
comprehensive immigration and welfare reform (allow more legal in, and manage it, but take the freebies that encourage waste and abuse), plus a wall are desperately needed
Posted it as sent to me.
Some refuse to believe that 777K deaths from Covid weren't all retired, old folks or those who'd die anyway.
Anybody that is willing to read can learn that what we are experiencing is what happens in a pandemic.
It's also the result of port towns mismanagement and greed and the de-regulation you all loved. No need for ports to expand or spend money on more cranes or updating methods of loading onto trucks.
Nor have you bothered to learn how trains are contributing to the problem.
Apparently, we've elected Republicans that will only vote to spend money on the military. Had control of both houses for 8 years and no tax reform ( just cuts mostly for the wealthiest) and no infrastructure bill and no reform of healthcare.
The party of Trump has been making The Know Nothings look smart. And, they have succeeded in empowering the deliberately ignorant, uneducated,gullible and clinically insane, brain damaged from drug use.
But, hey ...why bother checking the history and credibility of a person if they'll tell you what you want to believe?
The huge government welfare system makes it possible for Americans to refuse to work. If the aid were cut off, those living off the backs and sweat of others would have to join the work force to survive. Also, millions of immigrants coming in allows employers to get away with paying low wages due to the large supply of unskilled workers. It’s a supply and demand thing. Mass immigration is a major contributor to income inequality.
How can someone produce an article with a HEADLINE with bad subject/verb agreement? Pitiful.
Policies ? We have those for "immigration" ?
1. An "illegal immigrant" walks 1000+ plus miles to work hard 12+ hours a day in less-than ideal conditions at a labor-intensive low wage job and they are not welcome. A lot of native-born people won't drive a mile for a comparatively easy job in comparatively pleasant conditions making $10-15+ an hour stocking shelves, assembling things, sorting packages, etc., so we give them money and other forms of assistance.
2. Of course people should be paid a fair wage for their labor. So, explain how any employer can trade any wage to anyone who refuses to to do any labor. Better yet, explain WHY employers or anyone else should pay anything to those who refuse to do any work.
At some point, the economics of politics will be replaced by the economics of...economics.
What an absolute crock of shit Sid. Long before there was a labor shortage democrats were in favor of open borders. Biden opened the borders long before there was a labor shortage here. Then demanded that businesses pay top dollar to a lazy workforce. Instead of seeing the danger the country was in Joe Biden bungled and hid in his basement. And as far as the supply chain issues most of those are China related. American companies became so greedy for profits they shipped high tech industry jobs to nations that depended on supplies from other cheap labor nations. A train wreck waiting to happen all thanks to ignorant leaders who refuse to see what’s right in front of their faces.
8:17 with a NB. Folks who don't know it might want to look into the history of tamales in the Delta. Here's a hint: fellow Americans who happened to be Mexican (and not the duplicative "Mexican-American") have been contributing quite a bit for quite a while. It is going be hard to make America great again if we forget the US isn't all there is or ever has been to "America."
"American companies became so greedy for profits they shipped high tech industry jobs to nations that depended on supplies from other cheap labor nations."
Sorry, Charlie, that's not correct. The US Government, over the past 60 or so years has made it impossible for industry (by and large) in this country to be both productive and profitable.
We can't even produce a ladder-back chair without the damned government dictating the number of rails under the seat and the content of the stain.
10:35 - Italians were farming in the Delta long before Mexican labor was imported. You might want to rethink your tamale theory.
Italians? Mexicans? Didn't Cooper Manning introduce them because he never took a snap at Ole Miss? It is an interesting thing about Mississippi history - many folks seem to just make it up as they go.
Just a matter of time before liberals would say, oh the only way to get enough workers is to ignore immigrations laws and let these illegals have our jobs. The problem is the government is handing out too much money and folks have realized they can take government handouts, get a few off-record jobs like mowing lawns, and not work. I read something the other day - folks are quitting jobs that are boring or hard work. Since the beginning of commerce in the world folks have done jobs, they didn't want to because they needed food, clothing, and shelter. The taxpayers that pull the wagon (pay the most taxes) in many cases are the ones who can actually afford to stop work. And if they do where will the tax money come from?
Enforce immigration laws. Cut excessive federal handouts. I would like to see all the thousands of types of government handouts consolidated into about 5 groups. I think if we did that, we would save $$$ because of folks taking money they aren't qualified to get. Bottom line if we think we are too good to work in America we are signing our nation's death warrant.
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