Labor Secretary Walsh Calls for Immigration Reform

US Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said that immigration reform should be a top priority for Congress to tackle after last Friday’s November jobs report showed stronger-than-expected job numbers but also evidence that employers continued to struggle to hire enough skilled workers.

During a Yahoo Finance Live appearance, Secretary Walsh said when he travels around the country, businesses often tell him what they need most are skilled workers, particularly in healthcare, tech, and other sectors. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported recently that there are currently 10.3 million open jobs in the U.S.

Walsh said that the Biden administration spent $363 million in the past year to increase the number of registered apprenticeships, but immigration reform, while highly unlikely to pass with a divided Congress, needs to be part of the equation to address the country’s workforce needs.

“When I talk to employers in this country, almost every single person I bring it up with all agree with immigration reform,” Walsh said, adding that lawmakers in Washington “have to look at our immigration system, it's a threat to our economy.”

The AFL-CIO has long called for meaningful immigration reform, which is critical to our long-term efforts to lift labor standards and empower workers.

The entire workforce suffers when millions struggle to support their families without a way to speak up on the job, and ramping up fear in our workplaces only serves to increase exploitation. Instead of deporting immigrants, we need to ensure that all working people have rights on the job and are able to exercise them without fear of retaliation.

"The only way to stop the race to the bottom in wages and standards is for working people of all races, religions and immigration status to stand together and demand an end to policies that put profits over people."