Workforce and Employment

When immigrants have been asked why they came to this region and what they like best about it, “good jobs” is one of the most frequent responses. Job opportunities are a huge attractor for immigrants to the region, and high-quality, well-paying jobs are among the best ways of retaining immigrant families. Yet, despite the attractiveness of local job openings, many local immigrants are currently underemployed and are working in low-paying occupations compared to other available positions. In Iowa, median earnings are over $9,700 less per year for foreign-born men compared to their non-foreign-born counterparts, and over $8,100 less for foreign-born women.[1] These lower wages may limit an immigrant family’s potential for climbing out of poverty. Because the region offers significant opportunities for workforce training and higher education, there are a number of avenues that immigrants can follow to improve their employment, leading to economic advancement and improved livelihoods. This combination of available jobs and training options can work as a strong incentive for immigrants to come to this community, and then stay in order to pursue better career opportunities.

The availability of workforce is one of the most persistent concerns for local employers. According to Greater Dubuque Development Corporation’s 2022 Skills Gab Analysis, the Dubuque Metropolitan Statistical Area’s number of available jobs is projected to outpace the working age population over the next ten years. In addition, the top six industries in the region are currently facing a skills gap, and several key occupations are lacking a local pipeline of available workers.[2] And while the unemployment rate in Dubuque County has returned to near its pre-pandemic rate, the labor force has fallen by approximately 1,200 since 2019.[3] With over 1,400 jobs available on AccessDubuqueJobs.com as of December 2022, many companies are in need of workers in order to meet current demand or to expand their businesses. Part of the decrease in labor force may be due to a decrease in immigration, as immigration rates have declined significantly since their peak in 2016.[4]

Being better able to connect immigrants to family-sustaining careers helps resolve both the needs of immigrant families and employers. Many immigrants face limited work options due to a lack of education, resources, and connections. These limited options often lead to underemployment, where the individual takes a lower paying job that doesn’t fully utilize their skills and can even result in exploitative working conditions. Providing wider access to job opportunities can boost individual earning potential and improve working conditions.

From the perspective of employers, immigrants can be a much-needed solution for persistent workforce shortages, as these communities are some of the fastest growing populations in the region. Between 2010 and 2021, Dubuque County’s foreign-born population grew by more than 75%, which was responsible for nearly 20% of the county’s population increase.[5] In the city of Dubuque, the Pacific Islander population nearly tripled between 2010 and 2020, making it the fastest group population in the city.[6]

Many immigrant communities have incredibly strong networks that would be a huge asset to any company looking to find additional employees. The better the community is at connecting immigrant populations to high-quality employment and supporting them through the hiring process, the more attractive the region will be to those immigrant populations as word-of-mouth travels.

However, several barriers to successfully employing immigrants in the region exist. Many immigrants rely primarily on referral networks within their immigrant community to find job opportunities, which can severely limit their options. Challenges in connecting employers and service providers with immigrant communities means that often many of the excellent resources available in the region are not utilized. For a deeper discussion of these connectivity issues and possible solutions, see the section titled Building Connections with Immigrant Communities.

Another major challenge is that in many cases the community has not done enough to equip employers with the resources and knowledge to successfully hire and retain workers from immigrant populations. Employers have reported making the effort to hire from an immigrant community, only to lose those employees shortly after. This is often because employer expectations do not match with the realities of life for immigrant community members. This could be for many reasons, such as:

• A lack of translation of materials, safety instructions, etc. in the employee’s native language.
• Policies or procedures being not well suited for matching with an employee’s culture or needs. Examples include:
  • Employees violating strict rules around being late due to transportation challenges, cultural differences around scheduling and time, difficulty with access to other services like childcare or health care, etc.
  • A company using a web-based or email-based onboarding portal for new employees that is challenging for immigrant employees.
  • Immigrant employees being uncomfortable raising concerns or questions through normal communication channels (like telling a supervisor) and quitting out of fear or frustration.
• Differences in culture around appearance or demeanor. For example, many employers have been unimpressed by young Marshallese people not making eye contact during interviews, even though avoiding eye contact with an elder can be a sign of respect in the Marshall Islands.
• The commitment of CEO’s or c-suite staff to hire from immigrant communities not being taken up or understood by other staff (HR staff, supervisors, etc.).

While these issues can be addressed, some employers are uncertain about how to get started. The prospect of translating materials, altering procedures to fit with different cultural norms, and making other necessary changes can be a daunting task that requires a degree of cultural insight. Many employers struggle to do this on their own and may also be concerned about not understanding the legal issues that can come with hiring immigrants. All of this can lead to missed opportunities to match immigrant employees with potential high-quality employers.

The explore recommendations that have the potential to alleviate some of the challenges around immigration and workforce needs, click here.

Use the following links to learn more about different issues facing immigrant communities:

• For Case Management, click here
• For Education and Youth Support, click here
• For Health, click here
• For Housing, click here
• For Legal Assistance, click here
• For Translation and Interpretation, click here

To return to the Immigration Community Assessment welcome page, click here.