President Trump has held office now for half a year and he has impacted America in many ways, including our workforce trends.

So far the POTUS has pushed Congress for $200 billion for infrastructure spending over the next 10 years along with the Expanding Apprenticeships in America act which aims to fix the skilled labor gap America currently suffers from. President Trump ran on a platform that promised his voters jobs and below we have mapped out 5 Ways the Trump Administration Will Affect Hiring in America.

1. E-Verify

E-Verify is an employment eligibility verification system that is currently used by the federal government to approve contractors and other federal workers. It, or its equivalent, is also used by 22 states which require all employers in the state to use it.
What the internet-based E-Verify does is compare information from your Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification) to Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Social Security Administration (SSA), and Department of State (DOS) records to confirm that you are authorized to work in the United States.
President Trump wants to see this technology used by all employers in the United States. This will mean that hiring an illegal immigrant will be virtually impossible if the employer is following the federal law.

2. Minimum Wage

The Trump administration has leaned toward not increasing the minimum wage on a national level. This means some states without higher wage requirements can continue to pay whatever workers will accept, as long as it meets the state’s minimum wage.

At first glance, this does not sound positive for entry-level employees. However, it may benefit hiring overall. If the administration raised the national minimum wage, businesses could hire fewer people because of the added cost. They might also reject inexperienced workers, since paying a higher wage would make them less likely to take a chance on someone new.

3. Bringing Jobs Back Home

One of President Trump’s biggest promises is to bring more blue-collar and factory jobs back to the United States. He seems intent on keeping this promise, especially with his new apprenticeship initiative. This program will financially encourage companies to expand training opportunities that prepare individuals for the skilled labor workforce.

For hiring, this could mean businesses will gain more options to fill their workforce. As more Americans acquire manufacturing and other hands-on working skills, employers will have a larger pool of qualified candidates.

4. Infrastructure Improvement

According to President Trump’s website, the President wants to:

“Pursue an ‘America’s Infrastructure First’ policy that supports investments in transportation, clean water, a modern and reliable electricity grid, telecommunications, security infrastructure, and other pressing domestic infrastructure needs.”

President Trump strongly believes in the private sector. This means he plans to give companies incentives to implement improvements to America’s infrastructure. He has already shown this with his push for the privatization of the air traffic control industry.

In terms of hiring, this policy could create a boom in blue-collar, skilled, and entry-level labor jobs. Companies will compete with each other to acquire a capable workforce. These employees will be needed to implement large construction and engineering projects financially supported through tax incentives and government contracts.

5. Maternity Leave

Back in September of last year, President Trump unveiled a plan to require all businesses to provide 6-weeks of paid maternity leave for female workers. This past May of 2017, the POTUS included the plan in his “hard power budget” with it racking up $18.5 billion over 10 years. The government plans to pay for this with closing the gap on employment insurance fraud and raising unemployment taxes for businesses.

The results from this initiative could have a big impact on the hiring of temporary employees to cover the gaps maternity leave would create, while simultaneously discouraging sexism among hiring managers. President Trump has also promised to offer bigger tax breaks for the cost of childcare, making day care affordable to a whole new sector of work-eligible people.

With each new President, Americans hope for a better future. It seems that a Trump administration could mean an increase in the hiring of many types of workers, excluding those that are undocumented. Apprenticeship programs could result in a boom of an American skilled labor force, something that has diminished over the past 50 years.

Combine that with the President’s desire for infrastructure and you have a situation ripe to benefit both workers and citizens. As with any political wave, Americans will need to grab on to the opportunities quickly to be able to really benefit from programs that could be dismantled in the next presidential term. All in all, America’s skilled workforce future is looking bright.