Labor Day Highlights Immigrant Labor Shortages Amid Policy Shifts

Labor Day 2025 arrives as the United States grapples with a notable decline in its immigrant workforce, a trend that has profound implications for sectors like agriculture, construction, and healthcare.

 

Recent data indicates that over 1.2 million immigrants have exited the U.S. labor force between January and July. This reduction encompasses both undocumented individuals and legal residents, marking the first overall decline in the immigrant population since 2023.

 

Immigrants constitute nearly 20% of the U.S. workforce, with significant representation in critical sectors: 45% in farming, fishing, and forestry; 30% in construction; and 43% in home healthcare. The departure of these workers has led to labor shortages, resulting in unharvested crops, stalled construction projects, and concerns over the availability of essential services.

 

In California's Central Valley, farmworker Lidia expresses anxiety over potential deportation, despite over two decades of residence in the U.S. "The worry is they’ll pull you over when you’re driving and ask for your papers," she shares. "We need to work. We need to feed our families and pay our rent."

 

Similarly, in McAllen, Texas, agricultural operations face disruptions. Elizabeth Rodriguez, director of farmworker advocacy for the National Farmworker Ministry, notes that during the peak of the watermelon and cantaloupe season, immigration enforcement actions led to delays, causing significant crop losses.

 

Construction sites are also experiencing a downturn. In the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario area of California, construction employment has decreased by 7,200 jobs. Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America, states, "Contractors report they would hire more people if only they could find more qualified and willing workers and tougher immigration enforcement wasn’t disrupting labor supplies."

 

Healthcare services are not immune to these challenges. With immigrants making up about 43% of home healthcare aides, the reduction in this workforce raises concerns about the future availability of care for an aging population.

 

As the nation celebrates Labor Day, these developments underscore the integral role of immigrant labor in sustaining various industries and highlight the broader economic and social impacts of recent immigration policies.