First Alert Forward: Thousands of international workers authorized to work in St. Louis region, but employers aren’t hiring them

By First 4 Alert

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - St. Louis is facing a workforce crunch, but thousands of international students and workers in the region are already authorized to work. Many employers still assume the hiring process is too complicated.

The Mosaic Project, a local organization, is working to connect businesses with international talent that is ready to work now.

David Amelotti: St. Louis and really the entire country right now is dealing with workforce shortages, population challenges. Where do immigrants and an international population, skilled talent population, where does that fit in solving that problem?

Suzanne Sierra, President of the Mosaic Project: I think it’s a huge part of the solution to the problem. The international population that we have in St. Louis is largely highly educated. And I think that there is a misperception about immigrants in St. Louis and in general. The majority of the immigrants who are here are work-authorized. That means that they are legally able to work. Many of them are citizens. They have green cards. We have thousands of international students who can work. And I want companies to consider it as part of their broader workforce strategy.

Hiring gap in technical roles

Noelle Reinhold with AEG, a staffing company, said the company places roles in IT and engineering in St. Louis and across the nation.

“We can actually see firsthand that hiring gap that happens for companies. I’d say specifically when they’re looking to fill highly technical or really specialized roles in IT, engineering, data science. They’re really challenging to fill those roles. They’re more challenging to fill. And so by opening up the talent pool to international talent, companies are going to be more likely to find someone that fits their specific needs for those roles that they have open,” Reinhold said.

Mosaic Project connects talent to jobs

The Mosaic Project has worked since 2012 at the intersection of economic development, civic engagement and workforce strategy.

Amelotti: For people hearing about the Mosaic Project for the first time—what do you actually do day-to-day?

Sierra: The work that we do since 2012 is at the intersection of economic development and civic engagement. Workforce strategy, I like to describe Mosaic as a mashup between a dating app, a chamber of commerce, and an old-fashioned welcome wagon. We help foreign-born individuals connect to jobs, resources, and people so they can thrive professionally and personally.

Sierra said the organization is focused on international people looking for work. Read more here