885,000 new vacancies became available. Immigrants can benefit
The U.S. Department of Labor released today (2/2) its first report of the year. According to the agency, January recorded an increase in the country’s employment rate, with 885,000 new jobs available. This is the second-best start to the year for the labor market since 2010 when 891,000 job opportunities were created.
The improvement in employability rates is part of a government plan to combat U.S. inflation (which in 2022 exceeded 7%) and to definitively recover the labor market from the damage caused at the height of the pandemic when nearly 9 million people were unemployed in the U.S.
The Labor Department’s January report pointed out, however, that despite the increase in the employment rate, there are still critical areas for the United States, such as health, logistics and technology, which cannot find skilled labor to fill many of the available vacancies. This may be good news for migrants who work in these segments and want to live in the United States.
“Because they do not find in the domestic market qualified professionals for essential jobs, the U.S. needs to draw on the talent of foreigners who want to contribute to the country, and so it has been increasing green card quotas based on job offers, investment or for professionals who have successful careers in areas of national interest. For 2023, 140,000 green cards are expected to be issued for these categories alone, an increase of 57,000 green cards compared to the previous fiscal year,” said Marcelo Gondim, an immigration lawyer in the United States.
The Labor Department also warned that to continue improving employability rates; it is necessary to expand the H-1B visa program, which allows certain foreign professionals to work temporarily in the U.S. Annually, only between 65,000 and 85,000 vacancies are available for this category.
“Historically, the H-1B is one of the key visas that help contribute to the U.S. labor market, especially for large technology companies and multinationals. However, its quota quantity has been outdated for a long time. There are now 1.4 million foreigners worldwide with temporary job offers ready to enter the H-1B, but that depends on the number of quotas. This is just another one of the many problems caused by the lack of a profound reform in the U.S. visa and immigration system”, added Marcelo Gondim.
The Labor Department also predicts that 2023 should end with about 1.5 million new jobs created by foreign entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs, especially in commerce and hospitality.
About the specialist: Marcelo Gondim
Marcelo Gondim is an immigration lawyer in the United States with more than 20 years of experience in green card and U.S. visa processes. He is licensed by the State of California. Marcelo was born in Brazil but also held American citizenship. He is the founder and principal attorney of Gondim Law Corp., an immigration law firm based in Los Angeles.