Business Groups Examine the Role of Immigration in Easing Labor Shortages in the New Jersey Economy

PLAINSBORO, NJ:  The role of immigration in bolstering the New Jersey labor supply and in easing labor shortages in key industries will be the topic under discussion at a June 16 event sponsored by the newly-formed Garden State Immigration Policy Institute.

A joint initiative of the New Jersey Business Immigration Coalition and the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, the Garden State Immigration Policy Institute seeks to call attention to the best research and the best thinking on a range of immigration topics of importance to the New Jersey business community. The Institute’s inaugural event will take place virtually on June 16, from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm ET.

The program will feature a distinguished lineup of immigration experts and industry representatives who will unravel the connection between immigration policy and labor shortages, delve into the immigrant needs of specific industries in New Jersey, and identify immigration policy reforms that would relieve labor shortages without having an adverse impact on American workers.

Reports of labor shortages have ricocheted through the American economy. The American Trucking Association, for example, projects that the current shortfall of 80,000 drivers will grow to 160,000 by 2030.  Labor shortages in the health care field are also endemic. As the senior population surges, the need for home health care workers will intensify. The dearth of doctors and nurses, especially in rural areas, will compromise the health of millions of Americans. A recent report found that New Jersey will face the third largest nursing shortage in the nation by 2030.

Among the roster of speakers for the event will be Muzzafar Chishti, head of the New York Office of the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), the leading research center on immigration in the United States, and Jon Baselice, Vice-President for Immigration at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

According to Patrick McGovern, a partner at Genova Burns, a corporate sponsor for the June 16 event, the work of the Garden State Immigration Policy Institute “will shine a light on topics that often get overlooked in general discussions of economic development. This particular program takes on added importance in the current environment of declining birth rates in the U.S. and other countries, a soaring senior population, as well as greater competition for skilled immigrants among developed countries.”

Created in 2019, the New Jersey Business Immigration Coalition consists of 36 member organizations, including some of the largest business organizations in the State of New Jersey. The goal of the Coalition is to promote bipartisan and evidence-based solutions to the immigration challenges facing our state and nation. According to Coalition Coordinator Nicholas V. Montalto, “immigration has been critical to the success of the New Jersey economy throughout the state’s history and will remain so in the future.”

There is no fee to participate in the June 16 event. One may register at this link.