Of Concern to All

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

February 2, 2026

When I was in high school and contemplating what I should do after graduation, I was starting to understand the employment realities in front of me. Like many of you, I had “after school” and “summer jobs” that included mowing lawns, performing grounds maintenance at our area public golf course, exterior house painting, fast food, and retail. All of that was physically demanding and, from my perspective, not stimulating enough. My school counselor had drummed into my head that, with a degree from a good college or university, I’d almost guarantee myself a spot in the middle class, and maybe even more. So, off to Minnesota I went in pursuit of a baccalaureate degree.

What I have learned in the decades since is that not everyone is cut out for college, and not everyone is cut out for skilled trade or technical work either. There is enormous value in a diversely skilled workforce. Today, we have employment gaps that retirements and our declining population is struggling to fill. Immigration is one meaningful way we can add physicians, engineers, lab scientists, roofers, nursing home support staff, childcare workers, and more to shore up employment needs. We need organized immigration now more than ever as the U.S. birthrate continues to decline.

Here is a short video about immigration from the perspective of two people who would go on to be President of the United States one day, along with a recent New York Times commentary. The U.S. Census data outlined in the article shows that immigration now accounts for roughly 80 percent of U.S. population growth, even as net immigration numbers declined by more than 50 percent last year. How this plays out for Delaware employers should be of concern to all of us.

News You Can Use

We kick off the week of key economic indicators with January auto sales later today. Tomorrow brings us December job openings data, while the ADP employment report for January is released on Wednesday. We close out the week on Friday with January unemployment figures and consumer credit volumes for December.

Tyson Foods, Ashland, DaVita, Planatir Technologies, Simon Properties, and others start our Monday off with earnings calls. Tuesday calls include ADM, Ball Corp., Eaton, Grainger, Merck, PayPal, Pfizer, PepsiCo, Amgen, Cabot, Corteva, Voya Financial, and others. Ares Capital, CME Group, Equifax, Johnson Controls, Alphabet, Yum Brands, FMC Corp, Moelis, and others are slated for Wednesday. Bristol Myers Squibb, Cummins, Hershey Foods, Peloton, Amazon, Bloom Energy, Biogen, Centene, Phillip Morris International, Piper Sandler, Under Armour, and more round out the week of earnings calls.

Michael J. Quaranta

President

Delaware State Chamber of Commerce

Uniquely Delaware

Immigrant Percentage of Workers in Delaware

As Delaware’s workforce challenges continue to center on labor supply, international immigration is playing a measurable role in sustaining the state’s talent pipeline. As of 2023, one in seven workers in Delaware was foreign-born. According to the American Community Survey, Delaware’s foreign-born population grew from 72,531 in 2010 to an estimated 104,694 in 2023, or a 44 percent increase. These additional workers account for nearly half of Delaware’s total labor force growth during that period. Recent U.S. Census migration data reinforces this trend. Between July 2023 and July 2024, Delaware added 7,283 residents through net international migration, ranked 39th overall. Read more >

Immigrant Percentage of Employed Workers in Delaware

The Latin American Community Center (LACC) is a nonprofit organization that has been committed to meeting the needs of Latinos in Delaware since 1969. The LACC is the largest Hispanic-serving organization in the state and the only fully bilingual, fully bicultural direct service agency in New Castle County.

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