Immigration and America's Labor Shortage Are Guestworkers the Solution?
b'America is aging and many industries say they need more immigrant workers to do lower-skilled jobs Americans don\\u2019t want. Are they right? If so, how should we be looking at immigration and America\\u2019s labor shortage to find those solutions? And if immigration is not the answer, how will we fill the growing number of open positions in industries like healthcare and construction? In this episode of the podcast, we\\u2019re reframing the debate about immigration, with a closer look at short-term migration. We tend to think of immigration as being exclusively a permanent thing, but development economist Lant Pritchett says most immigration is intended to be rotational. Could immigration work better for America \\u2013 and for the people who want to come here \\u2013 if we significantly expand guestworker programs? We explore the history of guestworkers in the US, speak to someone who\\u2019s worked in America on an H-2A farmworker visa and consider the risks of expanding that program without significant reform. We hear about the need for better enforcement of existing immigration laws and border security. And we consider a proposal to meet America\\u2019s labor needs without more immigration. \\n\\nPodcast Guests:\\nBill Lowe, CEO of Chicago Methodist Senior Services\\n\\nLant Pritchett, visiting professor at the London School of Economics, co-founder of Labor Mobility Partnerships\\n\\nRebekah Smith, co-founder and executive director of Labor Mobility Partnerships\\n\\nJoe Martinez, co-founder and executive director of CIERTO Global\\n\\nHector Benjamin Xoc Xar, former H2A visa worker from Guatemala\\n\\nOren Cass, executive director of American Compass, author of "Once and Future Worker: A Vision for the Renewal of Work in America"'