Supporters of the proposal believe that this will help address Vermont’s labor shortage by allowing professional licenses to be granted to those who fulfill the standards, regardless of their immigration status, starting in September.
On Monday, Republican Governor Phil Scott ratified the legislation.
“We all know the challenges of our shrinking workforce and the need to maximize our state’s economic potential by employing professionals in occupations that best align with their skills and training, regardless of their immigration status,” Sen. Becca White, a Democrat, stated to Senate colleagues last month.
In order to get or keep a professional license or certification, applicants are required by law to provide a federal employment identification number or an individual taxpayer identity number in lieu of their social security number.
According to White, this approach has been adopted in some capacity by ten additional states.
“Continue to undermine efficiency and productivity of our local economy and create a supply chain delay in many industries that impacts consumer experiences and businesses,” the spokesperson added, referring to the persistent vacancies across all industries in Vermont.
As of Thursday, the Vermont Department of Labor announced that there were approximately 7,700 unfilled positions in the state. The most recent statistics indicates that the state’s unemployment rate in March was 2.2%.
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“We have a huge workforce development problem and we need all the tools in the toolbox that we can possibly have,” he stated.
He added that it is a Vermont political matter.
“We’re saying to the world, we’re opening our doors to you,” Musgrave stated. “We want you to come here. We want you to participate with us and more than we want you, we need you.”
