CEOs Hiring Record American Workers Due To Trump's Block on Foreign Contract-Workers
Young Americans being trained instead of cheap foreign labour
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Young Americans are being trained by Business groups in record numbers due to President Donald Trump's temporary block on foreign contract-workers, according to reports.
The Gatlinburg-area tourist industry in Tennessee was denied many J-1 workers, so it “responded by developing a hospitality internship program that seeks to bring more U.S. college-age workers to the area,” according to a September 6 report in the Wall Street Journal.
“We’ve tried to get creative,” director of the Sevier County Economic Development Council, Allen Newton said.
Meanwhile, the horseracing industry in Kentucky is now training Americans because Trump blocked the inflow of H-2B visa workers, the Associated Press reported.
Immigration attorney Elizabeth Conley Buckley said due to the season being nearly up, the U.S. Department of State issued new guidance allowing additional foreign workers to enter the U.S. will not make much difference.
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“This exemption to the executive order is not going to help them because they never got [H-2B] visas,” she said.
“So they have been dealing with any kind of staff they can put together from college students to day workers, whatever they can find.”
The project manager at the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Laurie Mays, said she was optimistic about bringing more American workers to the industry.
The Colorado ski industry is now hiring Americans because it was denied H-2B and J-1 workers.
The Colorado Sun reported:
“Trying to fill positions without an international pool of applicants is a little concerning, but we think we can replace them domestically,” said Jim Laing, the head of human resources for Aspen Skiing Co., which typically hires about 400 J-1 exchange visa workers every season.
“Our applications from college kids are up pretty significantly over prior years. We are targeting college-age applicants, but they seem to be targeting us as well. That’s a bright light in this mess.”
“We have already ramped up winter season recruiting efforts and have been pleased with the results so far,” said Vail Resorts spokesman Ryan Huff.
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“We have found interest among students who have more flexibility now due to online learning or deferring college attendance for a year. And our employees from prior seasons are also showing enthusiasm to return.”
Prior to Trump's order, staffing firms were hired by managers for disposable foreign labor, via the H-2B and J-1 labor pipelines.
Trump's curbs are very popular, according to polls.
Companies are now buying technology allowing skilled Americans to get more work done each day, throwing out the reliance on foreign workers.
“Cheap labor policies are the Luddite policies of our era, and they are delaying the adoption of modern robots and technology,” Jessica Vaughan, policy director at the Center for Immigration Studies, told Breitbart News in July.
The technology will help Americans get higher wages, she added.
After Trump reduced the inflow of refugees in 2017, meatpacking firms began hiring U.S. technology experts to automate vital meatpacking plants.
The Wall Street Journal reported:
At Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., PPC -1.88%, the second-biggest U.S. chicken processor and majority-owned by JBS, deboning machines now trail humans by only 1% to 1.5%, in terms of meat yield per chicken.
“They are much closer to what the person can do than seven years ago,” [said Andre Nogueira, chief executive of JBS USA, a unit of Brazilian meat company JBS SA]. Technology and automation are part of the $1 billion in capital expenditures JBS USA has planned for 2020. “One day, we will be there, but we are not there yet,” he said.
