At Confer Plastics in North Tonawanda, immigrants and refugees make up nearly a quarter of the workforce, hailing from a dozen different countries.
Bob Confer, the manufacturer’s president, praises their work ethic and attendance. Their turnover rate is also “incredibly low,” saving the company money in training costs and lost productivity, he said.
“When you invest in them, they’re going to invest in you,” Confer said.
As employers across the region struggle to find workers to fill job openings with the local unemployment rate at 3.7%, some employers are taking a closer look at hiring refugees and immigrants who have moved to the area and bolstered the region’s population.
Advocates believe refugees and immigrants could help fill a yawning gap in the region’s workforce, where a shortage of qualified workers has dampened hiring, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the past decade, the Buffalo Niagara workforce has shrunk by almost 9,000 people – around 1.5% – but the number of unemployed workers has been cut in half, according to state Labor Department data.
It doesn’t come without challenges, though. In some cases, there are language barriers for the workers and employer to overcome. And employers have to create a welcoming setting for people who are new to the country, to acclimate them to the workplace.
But employers and advocates say investing the time and money is worth it – and can pay dividends for the region’s economy, by allowing companies to tap into their growth potential. For the people who are hired, there’s the reward of earning a paycheck in their new home, as they get settled into Buffalo.
“To have a steady increase in people coming here who are ready to work right away on day one would have a huge impact for people to have growth,” said Jennifer Rizzo-Choi, executive director of the International Institute of Buffalo. “Buffalo has been growing now for the first time in…
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