Political answers for handling the volume of those from other countries seeking to live in the United States are not simple. But if you ask employers desperate to fill jobs, you might get an answer similar to that from Tim Lyman, who works in a factory in Columbus: “If they want to learn, I’ll teach them.”

Reuters took a look at the employment landscape for migrants in Columbus — and across Ohio — and discovered trade unions and other businesses are increasingly turning to migrants to fill labor needs.

Kelly Fuller, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Columbus Chamber of Commerce told Reuters that help accessing immigrant communities to find and hire workers is among the top three requests from local businesses.

Union officials told Reuters they welcome the extra help from migrants and refugees with work permits.

Brookings Institution economist Tara Watson told Reuters the expanding labor force has kept the economy growing without driving inflation even higher.

It’s a scenario very similar to one that played out more than a century ago when workers from all corners of Europe followed the same path. In fact, those who arrived from southern and eastern European countries, including Italy, Greece, and Slavic countries including Russia faced many of the same hurdles as migrants today. Where would we have been without them?

Reuters found that without immigrants, our workforce numbers are declining. Baby boomers are retiring. “And especially in some fields, we have long-run structural needs that Americans are just not going to fill (emphasis ours),” Watson said. She was talking about home health aides and other direct care workers. But one look at the number of “help wanted,” “we’re hiring” or other such signs in our region will tell you the problem runs deeper than those two fields.

While there are jobs American citizens are unable or unwilling to fill, labor unions in Ohio and all over the country are busy helping migrant workers find English classes, transportation, the right apprenticeship programs — and get the work permits that allow them to build their dreams in this country AND our economy, legally. Since the beginning of the 2024 fiscal year, 16,300 work permits have been issued in Ohio alone, according to Reuters.

Setting aside the hate and fear stoked by politicians hoping to buy a few votes, the facts tell a different story — one that should have American workers looking in the mirror rather than at the border.