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Michael Rubinchuk, owner of Michael’s Auto Plaza, stands outside his showroom on Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, in East Greenbush, N.Y. Rubinchuk came to U.S. from Belarus, worked as an auto mechanic, and has started his own business.
A poster of Michael Rubinchuk, owner of Michael’s Auto Plaza, and his son, Eugene, are featured on an ad at his car showroom on Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, in East Greenbush, N.Y. Rubinchuk came to U.S. from Belarus, worked as an auto mechanic and shas tarted his own business.
EAST GREENBUSH — Michael Rubinchuk didn’t speak English when he came to the United States from Belarus 35 years ago, but he knew cars and he knew trucks.
As long as he can recall, he was fascinated by them and as a youth he worked on Russian-made Ladas and Volgas, as well as Fiats. He attended trade school for auto mechanics and then received a certificate to work as an over-the-road trucker.
Rubinchuk’s move to the U.S. came amid worries about the long-term health impact on his children following the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown in neighboring Ukraine.
He quickly found work as a mechanic and then went out on his own, opening Michael’s Auto Plaza, selling pre-owned cars and trucks.
“Cars are my passion,” he said.
As New York and the Capital Region are seeing an influx of newcomers — this time in the form of migrants, some seeking asylum, who entered the U.S. at the southern border — immigration experts hope many of can replicate success stories like Rubinchuk’s by finding work and starting their own businesses.
To be sure, each immigrant has his or her own story. Rubinchuk had some advantages: He had relatives who already lived in the Capital Region.
He also had skills he acquired on the job and through the then-Soviet era educational system. Additionally, his brother-in-law helped him navigate the process of getting bank financing to open his own shop.
But organizations that help immigrants believe that, with the proper assistance, many of the new immigrants can join the U.S. economy fairly quickly. That belief has come into sharp focus this week as Gov. Kathy Hochul urged the Biden administration to expedite work permits needed to help migrants find jobs and start their journey toward self-reliance.
Business operators say they would welcome the help, given the persistent employee shortages they have grappled with since the pandemic. While taking no political stance on the influx of migrants, business organizations say they are still facing employee shortfalls.
“Our members are dealing with significant labor shortages right now as are all businesses and employers,” said Ashley Ranslow, state director for the National Federation of Independent Business.
A recent report from her organization found that 42 percent of small businesses they questioned had unfilled job openings. The unfilled jobs cover the spectrum from unskilled labor to positions that require years of training.
“There is still a huge shortage of skilled workers and there are jobs that people just don’t want to do,” said Pat Bailey, spokesman for the Business Council of New York State.
Hochul earlier in August said there were an estimated 5,000 unfilled agricultural jobs across the state. Farmworkers are essential in harvesting crops and caring for livestock, without which the state’s food production would decline.
There are a number of possible solutions and measures that could help immigrants find jobs or start their own small businesses, though. Last week, as Hochul was calling for expedited work permits, the State University of New York’s Rockefeller Institute hosted a Zoom conference on how to better integrate immigrants into the economy.
Research fellows said they viewed immigrants as a source of economic vitality, despite the short-term costs of caring for them. Immigrants, for instance, are 80 percent more likely to start their own businesses than native-born Americans, said Asha Venugopalan, one of the institute’s research fellows.
“Immigrants are integral in reviving declining towns,” she said. “Immigrants move into communities and start businesses.”
Certainly, that has happened in upstate New York. Utica has long been cited as an immigrant success story after Bosnian refugees, fleeing the 1990s war in what was previously Yugoslavia, settled there. They purchased and fixed up what was decrepit housing, found jobs and are now an integral part of the city.
Schenectady has seen some of its housing revitalized by the Guyanese who moved there two decades ago. Many were living in Queens and came to the area in pursuit of affordable housing.
There are obstacles, however, that go beyond work permits.
“It’s also about the language of finance,” Venugopalan said, explaining that many would-be business owners don’t know where to seek financing or have the knowledge needed to apply for a loan.
Credentialing is another issue.
Not all asylum-seekers or migrants are unskilled. Some may have advanced degrees and left technical careers behind in their home countries. But due to language barriers or lack of the requisite licenses or certifications, immigrants may not be able to use skills in areas like health care or engineering.
What’s mostly needed is more streamlining and one-stop forms of assistance to get new arrivals to the U.S. into jobs they might be suited for. That way the migrant influx, which many New Yorkers view as a problem and a crisis, can be turned into an economic opportunity.
“People are frightened of these situations where a busload of people show up in Chautauqua, New York,” said Robert Megna, president of the Rockefeller Institute.
“Are there opportunities for these folks as soon as they show up there? Yes. We have to constantly look for ways to make it work faster.”
As for Rubinchuk, his advice for the newest group of immigrants is simple: “Work hard and make it happen. Don’t be afraid. This is the land of opportunity.”
Rick Karlin covers the environment and energy development for the Times Union. Has previously covered education and state government and wrote about natural resources and state government in Colorado and Maine. You can reach him at rkarlin@timesunion.com or 518-454-5758.