MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Will loosening licensing requirements for immigrants help with Vermont’s workforce crisis? A bill on its way to Governor Phil Scott would allow people to obtain professional licenses regardless of their immigration status.
It’s no secret Vermont has an acute workforce shortage including nurses, accountants, pharmacists, drug counselors, and many jobs in the trades.
“Across the board, we have a workforce challenge in Vermont,” said Matt Musgrave with the Associated General Contractors of Vermont. He says it’s a long path to becoming an electrician. “apprenticeships are a one-to-one learning situation, so depending on the capacity of an organization, it limits the number of people they can bring in.”
Vermont lawmakers are turning to new Americans to fill critical roles. A bill on its way to the governor would expand the type of tax identification number people can use to obtain a professional license. That means those in the country on green cards would be able to obtain licenses in critical jobs.
Under federal law, people without citizenship are prohibited from obtaining professional licenses, but the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Esme Cole, D- Windsor, says it will pass constitutional muster. “A state must on its own enact law which allows for the repealing for that prohibition,” she said.
About a quarter of most jobs in Vermont require some sort of license and statewide there are about 19,000 openings, with just over 7,000 people claiming unemployment. “Even if every unemployed Vermonter’s skills, interests, and location perfectly aligned with the requirements of the open jobs, Vermont would still have 11,000 open positions,” Cole said.
But Musgrave and other business leaders say the bill also sends a political message — that Vermont is welcoming to new neighbors. “We want people to know the state of Vermont — as well as employers — are eager to bring people into the workforce, whether they’re already here or if they’re new Americans. We want to keep that door wide open,” Musgrave said.
A spokesperson for the governor says he intends to sign the bill.