New WES Framework Calls for Rethinking Immigration and Workforce Policy as a Single System
Built to Work argues that stronger integration systems are essential to economic growth, workforce resilience, and the long-term success of immigration policy.
NEW YORK, NY, [October 6, 2026] — As communities across the United States face persistent workforce shortages, demographic change, and growing competition for talent, World Education Services (WES) today released a new framework arguing that the country’s immigration and workforce challenges can no longer be addressed separately. Built to Work: Designing Immigration and Integration Systems for Success presents a roadmap for aligning immigration pathways with the workforce, education, licensing, and community systems that help people succeed after arrival.
The report’s central premise is simple: Immigration policy determines who comes to the United States, but integration systems determine whether immigration achieves its intended economic and community benefits. According to the framework, workforce development and immigration policy should be viewed as interconnected components of a single system designed to help businesses and communities thrive.
“Too often, we discuss immigration policy and workforce systems in separate conversations,” said Kit Taintor, Head of U.S. Policy and Practice at WES. “But communities experience them as one reality. Whether immigration succeeds depends not only on who arrives, but on whether our institutions can recognize education, skills, and experience and connect people to opportunity.”
The framework arrives at a moment when political, demographic, and labor force trends are reshaping communities nationwide. Americans age 65 and older are projected to account for more than one-fifth of the population by 2035, deaths are expected to outnumber births by 2031, and employers across sectors continue to report difficulty filling critical roles. At the same time, millions of immigrants already living in the U.S. remain underemployed because their education, skills, and experience are not fully recognized or utilized.
Importantly, the framework rejects the notion that investing in immigrant talent comes at the expense of investments in U.S.-born workers. Instead, it argues that communities are best positioned to succeed when workforce development, talent recognition, economic development, and immigration strategies reinforce one another.
“WES worked in consultation with leaders in workforce development, business and industry, education, state and local government, immigration policy, and community organizations to develop this framework, and what we heard was a broad consensus that workforce and demographic challenges require more integrated solutions,” said Esther T. Benjamin, CEO & Executive Director of WES. “As policymakers, employers, and community leaders seek solutions to workforce and demographic pressures, I hope this framework will catalyze a broader conversation about how immigration and integration can work together to strengthen communities, expand opportunity, and support shared economic growth.”
Read the Report
Built to Work: Designing Immigration and Integration Systems for Success is available at:
https://www.wes.org/social-impact/public-policy/us-public-policy/framework/
About WES
World Education Services (WES) is a non-profit social enterprise that supports the educational, economic, and social inclusion of immigrants, refugees, and international students.
Media Contact
Stephanie Hlywak, WES Director of Communications