🔒The new U.S. immigration policy is just so stupid

For a second, let’s put aside all the political issues surrounding the U.S. immigration debate: cultural clashes, language barriers, children in cages, forced Mexican refugee camps, the wall.

Strictly from a number’s perspective, the U.S. can’t continue to have the world’s No. 1 economy with the world’s No. 3 population size without relying on outsiders coming in to help.

China has nearly 1.4 billion people – more than triple America’s 332 million – and the Asian country’s economy now ranks second in the world with a projected $16 trillion in gross domestic product for 2020 (vs. $22 trillion for the U.S.) and has reclaimed from India its spot as the fastest-growing world economy.

If the U.S. continues down its recent path of shunning immigrants of all talents and backgrounds, in order to maintain its spot as the global economic leader, the country will have to rely on its workforce just to work harder (super duper harder) in order to keep pace with more populous countries. Japan (the world’s third largest economy) has this model with its salaryman culture, where professionals work long hours and indulge in heavy drinking and where death from overworking is a real societal issue.

Or, maybe (and I’m just thinking out loud here), the U.S. could stop turning away immigrants and refugees just because they look, talk and act differently than us, but who still want to come to America and carve out a productive life. The U.S. unemployment rate is 3.6%, and in Massachusetts, it’s 2.9%, both near historic lows. Businesses are having a hard time finding workers, not the other way around. A wave of immigrants coming into our economy isn’t going to take jobs away from U.S. citizens; they are going to shore up areas where we need the extra help.

The fastest-growing job in Massachusetts between now and 2026 is expected to be home health aides, according to the state Executive Office of Labor & Workforce Development. Nearly 10,000 new workers will be needed as more Baby Boomers want to age in their houses, rather than at nursing homes. Yet, with a 2018 salary of $30,830, home health aide is one of the lowest-paying jobs in the commonwealth. These jobs with lower education requirements can be filled by immigrants who may be coming from poorer backgrounds or fleeing threats in their home countries. We just have to let them in the door.

On the other end of the skills-and-salary spectrum, WBJ News Editor Grant Welker reports in this story on about how Central Massachusetts businesses are among the national leaders in using the H-1B visa program, where employers hire international employees when they can’t find U.S. citizens with the appropriate skills. Considering technology is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the Massachusetts economy and the biggest users of H-1Bs in this region are tech companies Virtusa Corp. in Southborough and MathWorks in Natick, we want to keep this program running at full steam. Yet, as Welker points out, the process of getting these visas has become much more arduous under the President Donald Trump Administration.

Your business isn’t going to thrive if you ignore the talent of half the population and hire only men. You will fall behind your competitors if you ignore the additional skills and benefits brought by having a racially diverse workforce. And, as a country, we can’t continue to be the best business nation in the world if we shut the door to people who want to help us. Because we need it.