Thousands of Irish students flock to the US each year to avail of the J-1 Summer Work Travel Program, which allows them to live and work in the US for three months. But rising youth unemployment means some Americans are opposed to the flood of immigrants who are eager to find seasonal work.
According to the Boston Globe, last year, almost 17,000 college students from around the world worked in summer jobs in New England. Traditionally, students take up seasonal jobs in the service and retail industries.
Boston is a major destination for Irish students and hundreds work there annually, especially on nearby Cape Cod.
Last December, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ordered an “extensive and thorough review” of the J-1 summer work travel visa, in response to reports that many students from nations around the world were being exploited.l
Jerry Kammer, a research fellow with the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington DC says that the J-1 program favors foreign students over Americans as employers do not have to pay Medicare, Social Security, or unemployment taxes to the foreign seasonal works, who mostly work for minimum wage.
“That is a very dignified mantle for what has become a huge money-making industry that has the effect of disadvantaging many young Americans at a time of record youth unemployment,”
Kammer, who wrote a study critical of the program, entitled “Cheap Labor as Cultural Exchange”, told the Globe.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate among persons between 16 and 24 years decreased slightly from 16.4 percent in April 2012 to 16.1 percent in May 2012.
Wendy Northcross, chief executive of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, is in favor of the program.
“Our labor pool is so finite,” she said. “We really depend on this young, intelligent worker coming in that’s anxious to learn about our culture and roll up their sleeves and work.”
Despite the unemployment levels among young Americams, some business owners say they are unable to attract Americans for many job positions..
“It’s jobs the American students don’t want to take,” said Michael Briggs, resort manager of the Chatham Bars Inn told the Globe.
“We put the ads out there, but we just don’t get any takers.”
Despite applying fror several jobs since finishing class in April, Julson Etienne, a Bunker Hill Community College student has failed to find seasonal work. Etienne (22) said he would consider a job in a kitchen or as bell boy at a Cape Cod hotel but he has no interest in washing dishes of working as a cleaner.
“I can do better than that,” he told the Globe.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.BrianO | Jun 06, 2012, 09:47 AM EDT
What's the attraction of a j1, you don't have to record or report for socialist security, medicaid, unemployment insurance. just the reporting costs and red tape are worth hiring a j1, the wage is the same to the worker. You also don't have to deal with the lovely government administrators in case there is a problem.
clevelander | Jun 04, 2012, 08:45 PM EDT
Well at least the Gaelic Football/Hurling teams in the US are getting better. @bytheway you may not know but these are Irish Games! Played for Century's in Ireland. Let's hope these J1 Visa KIDS have a great Summer and appreciate the HOME they left and return with a desire and an economy to stay!
Bythebay | Jun 04, 2012, 04:57 PM EDT
The US is making feeble attempts at coming to grips with their millions of illegal aliens with Secure Communities, very slow and too little too late.
SAirish | Jun 04, 2012, 04:39 PM EDT
Last year for the first time in its history, there were more none-white births in the USA than white births. This is largely due to the hispanic illegal immigrants entering the USA. The USA will soon become a none-white country, with whites as a minority similar to Brazil.
sirpeter | Jun 04, 2012, 03:33 PM EDT
pilib04.Don't mind that idiot Bythebay.She hasn't a clue.She thinks the US Government care who does the work.The US Government writing up reports and pretending they are concerned just to appease the masses.But in reality doing very little.I wonder what services an illegal worker is entitled too? A bowl of soup in a shelter maybe if they can't find work.So it's obvious they are forced to work long hours for little pay in crap jobs.These workers are a capitalists dream.
Bythebay | Jun 04, 2012, 02:17 PM EDT
pilib04, you're confusing migrant workers with illegals of all nationalities. Read your US Government reports on the economic losses in the US from illegals taking jobs, availing of services and contributing nothing. The US needs to get your act together and deport them.
pilib04 | Jun 04, 2012, 01:56 PM EDT
Bythebay, the undocumented worker issue is not as simple as your portray it. Americans enjoy the benefits of having a pool of 15 million cheap laborers. Imagine the cost if they all went home tomorrow. Talk about a crash! Who is going work for next to nothing in the housing industry, roofing,poultry farms, gardening, and most important of all, agriculture. You really expect Americans to go out in the fields for 14 hour days? You really think Americans are willing to work for a few dollars an hour doing back breaking work? Maybe for an hour and then they will walk away. Don't hold your breathe! Americans could get rid of the undocumented workers nearly overnight. They choose to keep the cheap labor.
irishcoffeekid | Jun 04, 2012, 01:40 PM EDT
its as simple as this. American kids would go for these jobs but employers like hiring foreign nationals as they're cheaper to hire, short term, have no rights and they go home so no liability. Hiring american kids comes with terms and conditions and costs them more. Sure, US kids would love these jobs but its one of those stupid situations where they're competing with cheaper labor and easier terms and conditions. The whole system is messed up here and there!
Bythebay | Jun 04, 2012, 12:41 PM EDT
The US jobless rate would most certainly be improved if you could get your act together and deport the millions of illegal aliens there draining jobs and services while contributing nothing. You're totally unable to tackle that issue apparently.
Bythebay | Jun 04, 2012, 12:39 PM EDT
GeorgeDillon, University education in Ireland is free. Irish students had no interest in washing dishes, pumping petrol (gas), bar and hotel waitstaff, security guards, etc. They aspire to different career fields.
Murph46 | Jun 04, 2012, 11:45 AM EDT
Spot on George!
GeorgeDillon | Jun 04, 2012, 09:42 AM EDT
This is a mirror image of what happens in Ireland. Over there, students no longer have access to the kinds of jobs they used to do to pay for college--gas station attendant, retail clerk, bar & hotel, security guard etc. Why? It's because the Irish have imported tens of thousands of Indians, Paks, Chinese, Pilipinos etc to take those jobs. The young Irish are the big losers from Mass Immigration. That's why all surveys show that opposition to Ireland's crazy Mass Immigration project is strongest among the young.