According to Richard Fisher, the former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Houston cannot be rebuilt in the wake of Hurricane Harvey without “Mexican labor.” He did not specify as to whether they would be legal or illegal. Research suggests, however, sufficient numbers of American construction workers are available to do the work. The Center for Economic and Policy Research found that there are 3.3 unemployed construction workers for every 2.5 job openings.
Commenting on this and other data, The Daily Caller commented that “there are unemployed and underemployed workers whom Texas builders could recruit to rebuild Houston. Part of that strategy could also include offering higher pay to match wage growth in other sectors of the economy.”
Read more at dailycaller.com.