A globalized world means a globalized workforce. That is the basic understanding of the contemporary job climate and it pertains to almost every industry. Indeed there are only a few industries left that are regionally specific and cannot accommodate the inclusion of foreigners. Even farming, long the discipline of the local community in rural areas, is now aided by a strong workforce of immigration workers.
Seasonal work is one of the main routes for the global workforce. Take a stroll through a Californian grape orchard and one will be struck with how many foreign workers are there. This is an example that might surprise supporters of firm borders and lower immigration rates. America’s workforce includes a healthy portion of seasonal workers that get visas each year to work in the farming industry. Why do everyday Americans not get those jobs? Either because they don’t want them or because there are not enough of them. Probably a combination of the two.
Or, to give a more conventional example, take a look at the teaching positions at top universities in America this year. They all hold a diverse faculty of professors that come from anywhere and everywhere in the world.
The flexibility of the work global workforce is that if someone becomes a specialist in one topic they can pretty much work wherever they desire. Of course there is the challenge of finding an opening, applying the position, and then going through with all the right paperwork – this kind of work applies to everyone looking to get hired in a foreign country. That does not get in the way of the fact that in theory anyone with a speciality position can work overseas.
It has not always been so easy to work overseas. In the past it was only a select few of the most privileged who could imagine working overseas.
Today, American firms have the advantage of hiring pretty much anyone they want. As long as they go through with the correct PERM requirements they can hire a foreigner within a year. The PERM process involves a thorough and specific advertisement campaign that includes newspaper immigration ads and proper notice of the company’s desire to hire an immigrant. It also requires a thorough application from the immigration to show they have the credentials required to work with the firm.
This kind of freedom to hire should not be taken for granted. It is one of the great freedoms of this country that anyone who shows themselves qualified can get a job. The judicial and government departments are well-placed to determine the value of a PERM application. The process can be tricky and time consuming which is why many companies hire lawyers and advertisement agents to ensure everything is in order.
