There are few aspects of the realm of business ethics that lead to such complex ethical quandaries as that of the use of immigrant labor in the workplace. The employment of foreign nationals in any function is a hotly debated topic in many societies, particularly in developed nations who are neighbored by less-fortunate neighbors. The United States, in particular, has long struggled with the issue of proper ethical behavior with regard to foreign workers; after all, the U.S. is a nation of immigrants. While this issue has historically created many ethical dilemmas in our nation, the most recent debates have centered around two very different classes of migrants. The first group are typically from India, China, and other developed nations in Asia who are recruited for positions in science, engineering, and high-tech. The employers who recruit these highly-educated individuals, who usually arrive with H-1B visas, often argue that the United States is not doing enough to adequately train its own youth in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, thus necessitating an international search for capable employees. The other group of migrant workers in question is typically from Mexico and Central American nations, and is often from the lowest socio-economic rungs in their respective nations. These individuals usually work in low-skilled trades, such as janitorial work or in agriculture. The employers who hire these individuals often assert that they have no choice but to hire these migrant workers, who are often in the United States illegally, because they cannot find American citizens who are willing to perform such physically strenuous and dirty work (Hart, 2015). As one might imagine, many of the ethical dilemmas are concentrated around the latter group of migrant workers. On one hand, human rights groups raise the concern that migrant workers are susceptible to exploitation in the form of excessive work hours and sub-par wages at the hands of their employers (Bada & Gleeson, 2015). Other groups, usually of a right-wing political orientation, express concern that migrant workers from Latin America are bettering their economic conditions by breaking United States immigration laws (Hotchkiss, 2015). Clearly, both utilitarian and deontological theories can be employed in the analysis of the ethical problems involved in employing immigrant workers. There is a clear benefit to millions of Americans through the use of highly skilled workers to advance technology, as well as the use of lower-skilled workers in low-status, but highly necessary, agricultural work, thus it is impossible to describe these employment practices as “right” or “wrong.”
To properly examine the ethical issues involved in the employment of migrant workers, this paper will first address the possibility of exploitation of migrant workers. From a deontological perspective, it is unilaterally wrong for employers to exploit any class of employees simply because they can. However, from a utilitarian standpoint, the use of workers who are willing to work for less than minimum wage, particularly in the realm of harvesting and other agricultural activities, has obvious benefits for the larger population, namely lower prices for fresh produce. When it comes to the deontological aspects of this question, a 2015 study of migrant agricultural workers in California found that many of these workers did not view their jobs as “degrading” or “bad” (Zavodny). While there exists a strong possibility that the migrant workers polled were afraid of offending their bosses by bad-mouthing their jobs, it does raise questions about the supposed inherent exploitive nature of these jobs. Many of these migrant workers are fleeing economically disastrous conditions in their native countries, and while their jobs may be viewed as being “on the bottom of the totem pole” by native-born Americans, the workers may very well not consider them as such (Zavodny 2015). In fact, agricultural fieldwork may be a major step up from their positions back home. Thus, it is difficult to unilaterally condemn the use of migrant workers for fieldwork as “wrong,” from a deontological standpoint. However, when it comes to highly skilled workers, such as those from South and East Asia, the ethical lines are not so clear-cut. While individuals on H-1B visas are typically highly compensated and have jobs that are considered prestigious by native-born Americans, they may find themselves in jeopardy should they be separated from employment, as there often exists a great deal of discrimination toward migrant workers of any socio-economic class, and they may encounter great difficulty in finding another job (Dietz et al, 2015).
Use your promo and get a custom paper on
"The Ethical Dilemmas of Immigration".
Often, the question of virtue comes into the debate regarding the ethics of hiring immigrant workers. Is the employer in question acting in a virtuous manner, by providing severely disadvantaged workers with an opportunity to make an honest living, or is the employer cynically exploiting the fact that s/he can get away with paying migrant workers substantially lower wages than their native-born American counterparts? A strong utilitarian case can be made for the employment of migrant workers, even if they are being exploited at the micro level. Cheap agricultural labor means cheaper produce, and the widespread availability of affordable fresh produce can be conducive to improved health for millions of Americans. Similarly, using highly-skilled employees in engineering, science and high-tech can result in faster technological progress for the United States as a nation, even though some may argue that the use of foreign workers in these fields takes away jobs from similarly trained Americans. With regards to deontology, the utilitarian benefits far surpass any consideration of the use of immigrant employees as being “wrong.” The use of immigrant workers has clear benefits for all those involved. Thus, it is “right” from both the utilitarian and deontological perspectives, and employers who engage in this behavior are exhibiting a great amount of virtue.
- Bada, X., & Gleeson, S. (2015). “A New Approach to Migrant Labor Rights Enforcement: the Crisis of Undocumented Worker Abuse and Mexican Consular Activity in the United States.” Labor Studies Journal 40 (1), 32-53.
- Dietz, J., Joshi, C., Esses, V.M., Hamilton, L.K., & Gabarrol, F. (2015). “The skill paradox: explaining and reducing employment discrimination against skilled immigrants.” International Journal of Human Resource Management 26 (10), 1318-1334.
- Hart, J. (2015). “Grower says permanent guest worker program needed.” Southeast Farm Press 42 (13), 6-8.
- Hotchkiss, J.L., (2015). “Economic impact of unauthorized workers.” Southern Economic Journal 81 (4), 871-873.
- Zavodny, M. (2015). “Do Immigrants Work in Worse Jobs than U.S. Natives? Evidence from California.” Industrial Relations 54 (2), 276-293.
