Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | August 29, 2022 27 FOCUS: LAW Since 1909, Cummings & Lockwood has provided sophisticated legal representation to individuals, families, family offices, closely held businesses, other commercial enterprises and charitable entities. Our core services include: Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning Wealth Protection Planning Philanthropic Giving Probate and Estate Administration Fiduciary and Trustee Services International Estate and Tax Planning Business Succession Planning Corporate and Finance Litigation and Arbitration Commercial and Residential Real Estate STAMFORD | GREENWICH | WEST HARTFORD | NAPLES | BONITA SPRINGS | PALM BEACH GARDENS www.cl-law.com Blue Back Square 75 Isham Road, Suite 400 West Hartford, CT 06107 860.313.4883 Purchase a group subscription for your team or entire organization. Get access to HBJ for your entire team! EMAIL>> CIRCULATION@HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION Lawyer Dana Bucin with Ukraine native Alona Voronova, a UConn law intern at Hartford law firm Murtha Cullina. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER Asim Etem, owner of A Villa Louisa, a banquet hall and wedding venue in Bolton, is planning to hire a Ukrainian chef. Etem immigrated to the U.S. from Romania when he was 14 with his father and sister. His family was sponsored by an organiza- tion in Dallas; now he wants to offer a Ukrainian the same opportunity. "We are looking for workers, and they are looking for a new start," Etem said. "That was me and my family 34 years ago." Once the refugee arrives, Etem said he'll provide a job along with room and board. "Everyone knows there is a shortage of workers in this country," Etem said. "Is hiring one person going to make a difference? Prob- ably not, but if more companies are able to hire and get back to normal, I am assuming everything else will fall back to normal, like supply and demand and prices." 'Need for an infusion' Christopher Ball, associate professor of economics at Quin- nipiac University and director of the Central European Institute, said the U.S. has a relatively flat popula- tion, so the country needs immigrants to drive growth. With Baby Boomers retiring and some regions, especially the Northeast, experiencing a popula- tion decline, "there's definitely a need for an infusion," he said. Connecticut's unemployment rate stands at 3.7%, but recent statistics show there are still 105,000 job open- ings in the state. "On the labor market side, there's been a trend in general of more and more people not entering the labor market," Ball said. "It's a bit of a mystery. There's a lot of debate. Where are these people and who are they?" The labor shortage creates prob- lems for businesses and consumers. When a business has to cut its hours because it can't find enough workers, the livelihood of the business is at stake. "We want them to be able to stay in Connecticut," Ball said. "With an influx of immigrants that are willing to work in these jobs, and are benefiting from them, it helps those companies stay here. They want to stay here and that helps keep Connecticut's economy vibrant and offering a whole portfolio of jobs, from factory jobs to accounting and marketing." There's especially strong demand in Connecticut for skilled workers in professional fields that do not require a college degree, such as manufac- turing, he explained. Professional licenses often aren't transferable from country to country, but the skills to operate machinery are similar everywhere. Ball said Ukrainians are likely to take jobs, at least temporarily, that U.S. citizens don't want. "They tend to be very good citizens and there's tremendous evidence that a lot of entrepreneurs come from immigrant populations who arrive and see opportunities where maybe people locally don't see them," Ball said. For Etem, whose catering business serves international cuisine, the upfront costs of hiring a Ukrainian didn't factor into his decision. He wants to help someone get a new start to their life. "I will help with room and board, help him get his license, all his docu- ments and all basic needs," Etem said. "I will also help him learn to become a good citizen and hopefully one day he could pay it forward." HOW TO HELP Anyone who would like to sponsor a Ukrainian refugee can contact Attorney Dana R. Bucin, chair of Murtha Culli- na's immigration practice, at dbucin@murthalaw.com.

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