An immigrant-friendly sign is posted on the way to downtown Fremont, where more than 200 conference-goers attended the Nebraska Immigration & Workforce Summit put on by the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and the Immigrant Legal Center/Refugee Empowerment Center. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)
FREMONT, Nebraska — A near-packed auditorium turned out for a conference here Tuesday aimed at offering Nebraska employers strategies to integrate immigrants and refugees into their workforce.
The draw of more than 200 participants was an encouraging sign to organizers including the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce, which has ramped up efforts to promote foreign-born workers as a way to fill what a spokesman said are between 50,000 and 100,000 open jobs in the state.
Mike Johnson, the chamber’s chief operating officer, told the statewide audience representing both public and private sectors that Nebraska’s gross domestic product could jump as much as 10% if those open slots were filled. He said the likely pool of recruits hails from abroad.