Originally Posted by
JBord
I don't consider myself a nativist, but I do get annoyed when someone directly serving the public is unable to communicate with me. I don't often find that to be the case with servers, but I do have other examples. A nativist would say they shouldn't be allowed to work here. To me, it's more about doing a job you have the skills for, and communication is a job skill for many front line jobs.
Can't get the workers with the desired skill set for that kind of employment, essentially, at the wages and conditions offered. There are workers with the skill but it's just not worth their while for the pay and work conditions. I've heard some native U.S.-ians who I have to say I could not understand a word they said (presumably some regional accent), not to mention the other skills.
Canada had a non-agriculture temporary worker programme (TFW) akin to the H-2B until a few (or more than a few) years ago. Restaurant owners then (and still now) were complaining that they couldn't find any workers domestically. The reply from some economists was that they couldn't find any workers, at the wages they were willing to pay. That programme has been long scrapped (it reduced worker mobility as workers were tied to the employer) in favour of further increasing immigration amounting to some 1% of the population per annum. These workers are able to find employment better than what restaurants are offering so still a shortage.
My other solution. Conscript the college-bound to a year or two of poorly-remunerated servitude. This could also provide the hotel crew for U.S.-flagged cruise ships.