“
Following the recent introduction of a bipartisan DREAM Act in the Senate, National Skills Coalition is releasing a new fact sheet on the role immigrant Dreamers can play in meeting business needs for middle-skill workers.
The U.S. is home to at least 1.7 million immigrants who came to this country as children and do not have authorized immigration status, often referred to as Dreamers. Approximately 800,000 Dreamers have received a temporary status known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, which provides them with protection from deportation and a 2-year renewable work permit.
While the popular image of Dreamers is often one of students enrolled in four-year colleges or universities, research has shown that many are pursuing two-year degrees or other credentials that will equip them for middle-skill jobs. Examples of such jobs include:
These middle-skill jobs comprise the majority of today’s labor market – 53% of all jobs in the U.S. – and are in high demand throughout each of the fifty states.
NSC’s fact sheet highlights specific steps that state and federal policymakers can take to strengthen connections to middle-skill pathways for Dreamers. Crucially, many of these policy recommendations will improve pathways for American-born jobseekers as well as immigrants.
View the full fact sheet here.
“
