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Size of foreign labor shrinks
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Posted on Jan 20 1999
The number of non-resident workers in the Northern Marianas has declined 5 percent from January to September in 1998 to 24,435 compared to the same period the previous year, marking the first drop in CNMI’s history since it opened its doors to guest employees.
A report from the Governor’s Office made available to the press said the figures were based on the entry permits issued by the Department of Labor and Immigration.
DOLI attributed the decrease to the implementation of Public Law 11-6, which froze indefinitely the hiring of guest workers, the backbone of the commonwealth’s work force but whose growing presence in the islands has worried the federal government.
Washington has been pushing to take control of local immigration, along with labor and customs systems, because of the unhampered entry of non-resident workers, mostly Asians, which has spawned a host of problems.
“The law has been successful in stabilizing the number of non-resident workers despite the opening of several large tourist oriented enterprises since the law’s passage,” the report said.
However, it recognized that the agency has difficulties in collecting data because of the lack of computerized entry-exit system at the commonwealth’s port of entry. “Until the entry/exit module of LIIDS is on-line, the administration will not be able to track with certainty who actually enters and exists the Commonwealth,” according to the report.
The report further said the number of illegal workers is approximately at 3,000 based on the estimates of the Central Statistics Division of the Department of Commerce.
But with the implementation of the limited immunity in December, the administration is hoping to get an accurate count. DOLI previously recorded that more than 1,300 overstays have sought to legalize their status.
