ZRX1200 wrote:Al, they're depressing wages so NO.....they're not making it easier for us.
Yes, in a few industries, like construction, but there are many cities and counties in California that get around this by mandating union labor in public projects.
The big one though, is agriculture. Many huge farms in California were reporting labor shortages, even while paying farm-workers $17.50 to $20/hour. Those companies say few citizens apply for those jobs, and they rely on a consistent pool of immigrant laborers.
The next big industry is tourism: housekeeping/food service. The pay isn't great and few citizens want those jobs, which attract a lot of undocumented workers.
It is not only wages that have to be factored in: we have to consider the price of goods and services. Without undocumented workers, your fruits and vegetables would cost much more, hotel rates would be much higher, restaurant meals would be higher...
I'm not smart enough to know the answer. There are many jobs that only foreign laborers are interested in doing, and those businesses need that labor pool to survive...