Conference replay: The role of immigrants in Iowa's future workforce

As Iowa's employers compete for talent in a state with consistently low unemployment, could immigration be a solution?

Going forward, researchers predict workforce challenges will become even more pronounced: As nearly a quarter of Iowans in the workforce approach retirement age and many younger Iowans pursue higher education or move out of state, Liesl Eathington, assistant scientist in the department of economics at Iowa State University, predicted that Iowa could face a shortage of 35,000 workers 10 years from now.

Meanwhile, immigration accounts for 40 percent of Iowa's population growth since 2010, she said.

'The obvious answer is international in-migration. We're not currently doing a great job of domestic migration," Eathington said.

"It's not a question of do we need international in-migrants for our labor force, it's how many.'

At Iowa Ideas 2017, September 20-22 in Cedar Rapids, panelists discussed the roles immigrants play in Iowa's current and future workforce.

Panelists included:

Peter Fisher, research director of the Iowa Policy Project

Lori Chesser, immigration department chair at Davis Brown Law Firm

Nancy Mwirotsi, founder of Pi515

Liesl Eathington, assistant scientist in the department of economics at Iowa State University

Moderator: Makayla Tendall, The Gazette enterprise and in-depth reporter

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Listen to the full replay to hear:

How the demographics of Iowa's immigrant population differs from Iowa's native-born population

The link between immigration and entrepreneurship and new business creation

Support needed for immigrants and refugees already living in Iowa - and how employers can play a role

Why immigrants could play a role in the future of rural Iowa

Or, read the full story based on this panel: Immigrants propping up Iowa population growth