Embrace overlooked talent: How to hire, attract and support immigrant workers

When Yasmine Mustafa was a 15-year-old high school student in Pennsylvania, she was prepping and planning for college applications when she learned a shocking piece of information: She was undocumented. 

Mustafa had lived in the United States for seven years at that point, having previously moved with her family from Kuwait. As she started to understand the implications of her status, she'd face what felt like insurmountable hurdles throughout her education and entrance to the workforce — hurdles that millions of workers in the U.S. attempt to overcome every year. 

"Being undocumented felt like I had this secret that I couldn't tell anyone," says Mustafa. "I didn't feel safe. No one should ever have to go through that." 

Today, Mustafa is a U.S. citizen and the CEO of Roar, a company and platform that works to shield employees from harassment and discrimination in the workplace. Looking back, Mustafa knows that her ability to ultimately attend college, obtain her green card and citizenship is not the experience of many with a similar background.  

Read more: Upskilling gives immigrant workers a chance to restart their careers

Of the approximately 10.4 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S., more than seven million are actively part of the workforce, according to a recent report from the Center of American Progress (CAP). The nonprofit found that although undocumented immigrants make up only 3.2% of the American population, they make up 4.4% of the American workforce, largely in essential worker roles such as construction, accommodations, administration and food services. In every state, according to CAP, undocumented immigrants make up a larger share of the workforce than they do the total population, and yet companies are slow to adopt inclusive recruitment strategies.

"Immigrants are highly skilled and oftentimes, significantly underemployed," says Cynthia Jasso, a program officer at the George Kaiser Family Foundation. "We have the opportunity to capitalize on this workforce segment to help fill vital positions in our community."

Jasso works with the George Kaiser Family Foundation's Elevate East strategy, which aims to create inclusive, thriving and welcoming neighborhoods for immigrant communities in East Tulsa, Oklahoma. She and her team work to help immigrants — regardless of residency status — find local work that matches their specific skill sets. Additional support programs include English-as-a-second-language classes, sector-specific training in cybersecurity and software, and collaboration with partners like the City of Tulsa.

"I have met individuals who, in their home countries, were top executives in their respective fields, and they're now looking for opportunities to live the American dream," she says. "Newcomers bring with them a plethora of experiences, culture and new perspectives and employers should capitalize on this untapped potential." 

Read more: This partnership is creating a guide to onboarding immigrant employees

Currently, 87% of white collar employers are recruiting and hiring foreign national employees in the U.S., according to a recent survey from employment agency Manpowergroup. But those efforts largely leave out undocumented talent. In Mustafa's case, those kinds of barriers led her to work three low-paying jobs through college to make ends meet, mostly made up of restaurant shifts and a gig at a dry cleaner, none of which required documentation. 

"I could only apply to under-the-table jobs, which limited the pool of options I had," Mustafa says. "And they all paid below minimum wage. I also couldn't apply to get my driver's license without a social security card, which meant I had to rely on public transportation to get to work."

The food industry is known for employing high levels of undocumented workers. A 2008 Pew report found that undocumented workers made up at least 10% of the hospitality industry and 13% of the agriculture industry. Much of this has to do with the fact that the restaurant industry faces some of the largest turnover rates in the workforce, forcing employers to overlook certain credentials in favor of successfully staffing their open roles. 

But while larger companies are constrained by more regulation and scrutiny, they still have the opportunity to expand their talent pool and embrace international workers. Jasso encourages employers to reach out to their local Immigrant Affairs Office or work with the support of national organizations to update staff policies and integrate immigrant inclusion. Visa sponsorship opportunities are also an overlooked chance to engage talent — one that 94% of companies say they'd be interested in if there were fewer immigration obstacles in place, according to ManpowerGroup.

Read more: A guide for managing workplace immigration rules

"When you talk to companies about visa sponsorship programs they often have no idea that these opportunities exist," says Manuel Lievano, CEO of MCC USA, which specializes in connecting foreign workers with U.S. employers. "For those that do, they don't understand how to navigate these international types of visas. This leads to immigrant workers feeling like it's impossible to land a job in the U.S. that will offer them a green card." 

MCC USA works primarily with employers to help them offer the EB3 Visa, a permanent residency green card aimed at skilled or unskilled workers and professionals. Recent Chamber of Commerce data shows that the U.S. has 9.6 million job openings, and Lievano estimates that around 85% of those jobs don't require a specific skill set, making them perfect for immigrants looking to get their foot in the door. 

"The EB3 process is not just a way to give employers an extra set of hands," Lievano says. "It's an opportunity to use the EB3 as a game-changer solution, because we're talking about hundreds of thousands of people looking for opportunities while there are millions of jobs available." 

Mustafa is a testament to the kind of success someone can find when given the right opportunity and access to documentation. After obtaining full citizenship, Mustafa worked her way up several corporate ladders, starting as an intern and eventually becoming a project manager. 

Read more: The number of immigrant workers with H1-B visas drops the most in a decade

"Once I became a citizen, that changed everything," she says. "I felt like I finally had a voice. I wasn't beholden to my circumstances anymore. I could do whatever I wanted without being scared of anyone forcing me to go back to a country I felt no affiliation to." 

She used that newfound voice to start Roar, a project inspired by her own experiences of feeling psychologically and physically unsafe in different work environments. Now, she works to provide support to others who may be struggling within the confines of their current gig. Looking back on her journey, she is aware of the moments and breaks that led her to where she is today, and she's committed to advocating for other immigrants and the undocumented community, and to keep paving a path to access and opportunity. 

"We don't control where we're born, our socio-economic class, our parents — those were bestowed upon us," she says. "But it really sets us up for the opportunities or circumstances that we have in our lifetime. Being able to help offer more programs so [people] can at least claim the same opportunities as others would be an amazing benefit amongst all the obstacles they are already going to have to face as they find their way."