Over 2,000 commenters responded to the Department of Labor’s request for input on occupations that should be added to the “Schedule A” shortage list, which presumes U.S. workers are not available in a listed occupation and speeds employer applications for green cards for workers in those jobs. Specifically, associations and companies asked the DOL to add construction workers, landscapers, engineers, licensed practical nurses, home health aides, pharmacists, teachers and many other professions to Schedule A.

Among the commenters requesting inclusion of construction occupations in Schedule A was the Niskanen Center, which stressed the need for Schedule A to “target particular areas of significant unmet need or to provide strategic assistance to initiatives of national importance, such as the construction and staffing of semiconductor manufacturing plants.”