Researchers and other experts expect millions of new construction jobs in coming months due to the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, CHIPS Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.
That’s in addition to the 407,000 unfilled jobs in the construction industry now.
But where will those workers come from?
Immigrants have played a critical role in the U.S. construction industry for generations, from the creation of the Transcontinental Railroad in the West to the skyscrapers that define New York City in the East. But unlike in these past generations, workers tasked to improve America’s infrastructure this time around likely won’t hail from outside the country, unless there’s a dramatic change to current immigration policy, industry officials said.
