WASHINGTON - Today, the House Committee on Small Business met for a hearing titled, “Immigration and the Small Business Workforce.” Ranking Member Steve Chabot (R-OH) delivered the following opening statement:
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery
Thank you, Madam Chairwoman, for holding this hearing today.
When we speak to small businesses owners both here in DC and at home in our districts, we hear a similar message: the workforce shortage we are currently experiencing is having a negative impact on small businesses across the country and across industries. According to a study conducted by the NFIB, 86 percent of employers with job openings reported finding few or no qualified applicants for the positions they were seeking to fill. Without access to local qualified employees, employers are looking to temporary foreign workers to fill their workforce gaps.
For example, employers in STEM fields in need of highly skilled workers in specialty occupations often petition for H-1B visas. Of the 40,000 companies that submitted H-1B visa applications in Fiscal Year 2016, the top 20 sponsors accounted for 37% of all visa approvals. Given this trend, how can small businesses manage to secure visas when they have to compete against industry giants and Fortune 500 companies?
This also affects employers in seasonal labor-intensive industries who rely on H-2B visas to ensure they have the workforce needed to meet their industry’s seasonal demands. H-2B employers are often bogged down in bureaucratic red-tape, and struggle to comply to conflicting guidance from DOL and DHS. In the 114th and 115th Congresses, I introduced the Strengthen Employment and Seasonal Opportunities Now, otherwise known as the SEASON Act to provide greater marketplace certainty and to make it easier for employers to meet the demands of their respective industries in our growing economy.
I am confident that reforms to streamline and simplify temporary employment visa programs can alleviate some of the strains caused by workforce shortages. Today, we will hear about the economic impact of temporary foreign workers on small businesses and the U.S. economy. As we discuss these issues, I will be focused on one question, are these visa programs a viable option for resource-strapped small businesses?
Thank you to our witnesses for participating today. I yield back.
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