ALL JOE HAS TO DO IS NOT BE DONALD:

By one calculation, the U.S. workforce today has 2 million fewer immigrants than it would have if immigration had continued at pre-pandemic levels. That gap is especially being felt in low-paying industries, such as leisure and hospitality, food services retail, and health care. 

"Sectors that are especially reliant on immigrant workers had significantly higher rates of unfilled jobs in 2021," economists Giovanni Peri and Reem Zaiour of the University of California, Davis, wrote recently.

Immigrants are especially crucial in health care, where they make up a disproportionate share of workers. One in five nurses, one in four health aides, and nearly one in two housekeepers and gardeners is an immigrant, according to research coauthored by Williams College economic professor Tara Watson.

The immigration drop coincides with other demographic trends that are squeezing the workforce. Americans are retiring in droves as baby boomers, the largest generation of workers, reaches retirement age -- a longstanding demographic shift that sped up during the pandemic.

The past year has seen the slowest population growth since America was founded, and a major reason is the immigration decline. 

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