portland, maine<u+2014>hiring manager cindy caplice didn<u+2019>t rely on job postings to fill 100-plus vacancies over the past year at sigco inc., a metal and glass fabricator outside maine<u+2019>s largest city. instead, she took a recruiting outing to the portland adult education center, where refugees and asylum-seekers from several african nations polish their english. <u+201c>we cannot grow our company without the immigrant population. we simply can<u+2019>t do it,<u+201d> said ms. caplice, who now bustles around the 130,000-square-foot factory waving to hard-hatted workers from burundi, uganda, egypt, sudan, the democratic republic of congo and beyond. while refugee resettlement and immigration more broadly is a divisive issue in some states and cities, maine business leaders are sending a different message: please, take our jobs. the new england state, best known for supplying most of the nation<u+2019>s domestic lobsters, faces a demographic conundrum . it has the oldest median age in the nation and was one of only two states, the other being west virginia, where deaths outnumbered births between july 2014 and july 2015. state economists forecast that by 2024, employers could wrestle with a net decrease of 28% of people in the prime working ages of 35 to 64. and with maine<u+2019>s unemployment at 4.1%, employers already talk about trouble finding workers. a september report co-authored by the maine state chamber of commerce recommended that new and engaged legal immigrants be a <u+201c>key component<u+201d> of the state<u+2019>s economic strategy. only 3.5% of mainers are foreign-born, versus 13.1% for the u.s., according to the u.s. census. unauthorized immigrants were less than 0.3% of maine<u+2019>s population in 2014, according to pew research center. <u+201c>simply put, our city will not survive without immigrants,<u+201d> portland mayor ethan strimling told business and community leaders in late october, at the city<u+2019>s first-ever summit about integrating immigrants into the economy. mr. strimling, who supports a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who contribute to the community, said in an interview that his comments were aimed at any immigrants, regardless of status<u+2014>although he isn<u+2019>t encouraging anyone to come to the u.s. illegally. some politicians have sounded less eager. republican gov. paul lepage in early november said maine would stop facilitating the federal refugee resettlement program, following similar moves by officials in at least three other states. mr. lepage said he had lost confidence in the vetting of refugees from syria and other war-torn countries and noted the case of an iranian refugee who moved to maine around 2009 and died last year allegedly fighting overseas for islamic state. maine<u+2019>s governor also said refugees were burdening social services in the state. more than 500 refugees are expected to be settled in maine this year, according to catholic charities maine, a resettlement agency, with 39 of those having arrived from syria. rep bruce poliquin, a republican who is one of maine<u+2019>s two u.s. house members, has also called for a halt to the syrian refugee resettlement program. since the election of donald trump as president, some employers and local officials worry about whether the state can still expect a flow of newcomers. mr. trump said during his campaign that he opposed accepting refugees from regions plagued with terrorism, which could include some sources of maine<u+2019>s refugees. <u+201c>it makes me very concerned if there are policies put in place that could reduce a much-needed influx of people,<u+201d> said mr. strimling, a democrat. even among those who welcome refugees<u+2019> arrival, there are limits to the welcoming stance. the highest poverty and unemployment rates in portland, a city of nearly 67,000 that sits on a peninsula, are among immigrants, mayor strimling said. at sigco, one-quarter of the 227 employees are now legal african immigrants, many hired in the past two years. they do have a <u+201c>longer learning curve,<u+201d> ms. caplice said. but there are fixes. for instance, when she realized the new hires only knew the metric system, she asked the adult-education center to train students on an american tape measure. ms. caplice said she<u+2019>s <u+201c>not saying we shouldn<u+2019>t try to keep our country safe and scrutinize what goes on,<u+201d> but that she doesn<u+2019>t agree with a <u+201c>blanket statement about not letting more in.<u+2026>they are fleeing horrible circumstances and they want to work.<u+201d> walking briskly through the factory on a recent day, she said yves nzosaba illustrates the promise. a lanky 36-year-old former accountant from war-torn burundi, he moved to maine in 2010 and secured asylum status. when he landed a job at sigco in 2012, he had limited command of english, winter driving or the technical lingo of a humming factory that insulates glass for buildings throughout new england. <u+201c>i pushed myself,<u+201d> he said, wearing a blue hard hat, safety glasses, a leather apron, jeans, steel-toed boots, and tough shirt that protects against glass cuts. he now earns $18 an hour<u+2014>working 55 hours a week<u+2014>as a lead on the second shift, overseeing three multimillion-dollar tempering ovens. he gets a $1,000 christmas bonus, contributes to a 401(k) and is saving to buy a house. grinning, he said he was about to purchase a ford mustang, the iconic american car.<u+00a0>ms. caplice scrunched up her face. <u+201c>that<u+2019>s not good in the snow!<u+201d> she said. write to jennifer levitz at jennifer.levitz@wsj.com
in maine<u+2019>s tight job market, businesses look to immigrants - wsj
jennifer levitz