As the political debate over immigration in the United States intensifies, economists make a new warning: the most widespread function in America is threatened.
According to a Bloomberg report, the president’s policy Donald Trump In tightening immigration procedures, it may cause a sharp vacuum in the labor market, especially in the home health care sector, which has become the most common profession in the country, bypassing retail trade.
A hidden column for America’s economy
During a hearing of the US Senate last week, Senator Ron Widen asked a direct question to the Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent: “What is the largest sector in employing the population of rural areas?”
“I think it’s agriculture.” But the Senator surprised him with the real answer: rural health care.
According to the report, home health care and personal care service providers today constitute a huge sector that grows at a rapid pace with the acceleration of American population aging.
The role of immigrants is decisive and threatened
The data reveals that this sector relies heavily on immigrant workers, as:: that:
- More than 40% of home health workers are immigrants (legitimate or illegal).
- About 30% of personal care providers are also immigrants, compared to an average year of only 20% in the American labor market as a whole.
This heavy dependence makes the sector at the heart of the political storm – according to Bloomberg – as Trump’s policies to restrict immigration threaten to significantly reduce this workforce, which may lead to actual paralysis in one of the most developed sectors in the country.
Tired jobs and wages are not enough
Bloomberg says the challenge is not limited to tightening the borders, but also to the weakness of these jobs for Americans born in the country.
“We have an actual deficiency in caregivers, the current workers are getting old, and salaries are not enough to attract a new worker,” says Cassandra Zimer-Wong of the Nissanen Research Center.
Industry statistics indicate that about two -thirds of home health workers leave their jobs during the first year due to low wages and high physical pressure.
The danger extends to other sectors
The effect of this trend is not limited to health care only. Bloomberg has indicated that the same pattern of employment and the decline in the flow of migrants began to affect sectors such as:
- Agriculture
- Construction
- Meat
In a report by Wales Vargo bank analysts, Sarah House and Nicole Servry wrote: “The challenges in employment that seemed to be an exception after the pandemic and in late 2010, it may soon become the base.”
The demand is increasing and the workforce is decreasing
With the progress of the population, more Americans want aging in their homes, not in care institutions, and this trend, according to Bloomberg- has created an increasing demand for home care services.
But this desire collides with the show crisis, as there is not enough working hand, and immigration policies weaken the capabilities more, and the result is a gap that threatens the dignity of the elderly and the continuity of service, says Bloomberg.
The agency notes that history shows that attracting American workers for these jobs was never easy, and as restrictions on immigration continued, the deficiency will be more severe.
The report warned that the consequences may include high health care costs, the deterioration of service quality, and increase pressure on American families.