International Organization for Migration (IOM)

Improving Access to Labour market Information for migrants and employers
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One major difference between large firms and SMEs is in the type of migrants they
hire: legal versus irregular. Again, the primary reason why SMEs in the United
States end up hiring more irregular workers is not because they are unfamiliar with
the legal avenues for hiring third-country nationals. It is because the US immigration
policy discourages migration of low-skilled workers, who are more likely to be hired
by SMEs. Large corporations also come under greater governmental scrutiny and
are liable to pay penalties for hiring the undocumented.
The federal government’s attitude towards undocumented immigrants over the past
few decades has been mostly indifferent. In 1986, the Immigration Regulation and
Control Act, while legalizing 3.2 million undocumented persons, decided to impose
a penalty on employers who hired the irregulars. However, the policy was largely
dormant in the first 15 years of its existence: the federal government ignored it and
employers kept hiring the undocumented as they had been for decades. Even now
most activism on the Employment Eligibility Verification of IRCA is at the state
level. During the great recession, the federal government did step in and deported a
record number of irregular workers and their families at a time when it was expected
that the demand for foreign workers would decline.
Overall, however, lack of policy for low-skilled migration has not been without cost
and most of it is borne by irregular immigrants. In addition to paying large sums
to coyotes for facilitating their illegal entry to the United States, the undocumented
take huge risks, including risk to life, while trying to cross into the United States
(Eschbach, Hagan and Rodriguez, 2003, Rodriguez, 2004). Those who succeed
risk deportation if found out. Due to their undocumented status, they have no job
security and often receive less than the market wage (Kaushal, 2006).
Role of private intermediation agencies and the public sector
There appears to be little evidence of public employment services helping to hire
foreign workers unless they are being hired for a governmental organization.
2.2. Supply side (prospective migrants) issues
Information channels for prospective migrants
There are many sources of information on the labour market opportunities in the
United States as well as procedures for legal immigration and short-term temporary
visas. The Occupational Outlook Handbook of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics
provides detailed data on job prospects in 538 occupations, including entry-level
education, work experience, length of on-the-job training if needed, median income,
number of jobs in 2010, and the projected job growth during the period 2010–2020.
The Handbook is available on the BLS website. In addition, State Labor Departments
provide corresponding state level data at their websites. Presumably, prospective
migrants can use these data to acquire appropriate skills, if there are training schools
available in sending countries. In certain occupations, such as nursing and teaching,
prospective workers indeed do make such investments.