The Federal Reserve Board and business executives report that corporations have halted expansion plans due to a lack of workers. Numerous newspaper articles report that businesses have curtailed services because they do not have enough workers. Employers have tried other initiatives, but the pool of available workers must grow. Businesses have developed partnerships with local high schools and technical schools, and created their own high school and technical training programs. But the shortages still exist.
Immigration is part of the solution.
The current system is unworkable and outdated. It places the employer and the employee in a bureaucratic morass of regulations and red tape that means years of frustration. It has not been updated since 1990, before the current economic boom began. The system does not allow many employers to legally hire essential workers in a timely manner. Congress should create new, regulated visa initiatives that meet short term, long term, and permanent needs.