Ernst: Legal immigrants may be needed to fill rural Iowa workforce needs

DES MOINES — The rural Iowa economy faces several challenges, not least of which is an aging workforce that can best be addressed by helping American workers gain the skills they need to fill worker shortages, Sen. Joni Ernst said Thursday.

It's getting more difficult to meet workforce needs because the workforce is aging and 'we are not seeing the youth staying in some of those rural communities,' she said.

'We have a number manufacturing industries out in rural areas, but they lack qualified workers or those who have the right types of skills,' Ernst said during her weekly conference call with reporters. Rural health care providers also tell her they are feeling the pinch.

That means there may be a need for immigration reform to ensure an adequate labor supply to replace those aging out of the workforce, she said, mentioning that the labor shortage issue came up in a conversation with Iowans earlier this week.

'I would love to see us working with American workers to help them get employed,' Ernst said.

'I want to make sure we are advancing with our American workers first and providing them the opportunity to take on these types of employment' before looking at whether legal immigration is the answer, Ernst said. She wants more data from Iowa on where labor shortages exist before making any decisions.

Thursday marked Ernst's 100th day in office. Despite that, she continues to work out of temporary quarters in Washington. Monday, Ernst and other freshmen senators will get to select more permanent offices. She doesn't expect to move in until June or later.