St. Louis Employers Struggle to Hire Despite Thousands of Authorized International Workers

Local organization Mosaic Project works to connect businesses with international talent amid workforce shortages and misperceptions about hiring process

Apr. 2, 2026 at 12:48am

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St. Louis is facing a workforce shortage, but thousands of international students and workers in the region are already authorized to work. Many employers still assume the hiring process is too complicated. The Mosaic Project, a local organization, is working to connect businesses with international talent that is ready to work now.

Why it matters

St. Louis, like many regions across the country, is dealing with workforce challenges and population declines. Connecting employers with the international talent already authorized to work in the area could help address these issues, but misconceptions about the hiring process remain a barrier.

The details

The Mosaic Project has worked since 2012 to connect foreign-born individuals with jobs, resources, and community in the St. Louis region. Many of these individuals are highly educated, with advanced degrees, but don't know how to navigate the local job market or lack connections. The organization helps make introductions and demystify the hiring process for employers. It's launching the second year of an International Hiring Challenge to encourage companies to consider this talent pool.

  • The Mosaic Project has worked since 2012 at the intersection of economic development, civic engagement and workforce strategy.
  • The organization is launching year two of the International Hiring Challenge.

The players

Mosaic Project

A local organization working to connect businesses with international talent and help foreign-born individuals find jobs, resources, and community in the St. Louis region.

Suzanne Sierra

President of the Mosaic Project.

Noelle Reinhold

Staffing professional with AEG, a company that places roles in IT and engineering in St. Louis and across the nation.

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What they’re saying

“I think it's a huge part of the solution to the problem. The international population that we have in St. Louis is largely highly educated. And I think that there is a misperception about immigrants in St. Louis and in general. The majority of the immigrants who are here are work-authorized. That means that they are legally able to work. Many of them are citizens. They have green cards. We have thousands of international students who can work. And I want companies to consider it as part of their broader workforce strategy.”

— Suzanne Sierra, President of the Mosaic Project

“We can actually see firsthand that hiring gap that happens for companies. I'd say specifically when they're looking to fill highly technical or really specialized roles in IT, engineering, data science. They're really challenging to fill those roles. They're more challenging to fill. And so by opening up the talent pool to international talent, companies are going to be more likely to find someone that fits their specific needs for those roles that they have open.”

— Noelle Reinhold, Staffing professional with AEG

What’s next

The Mosaic Project is launching year two of the International Hiring Challenge, which is 'an invitation for companies that may have never hired international talent before' to connect with candidates who are already authorized to work.

The takeaway

Connecting employers in the St. Louis region with the international talent already authorized to work in the area could help address workforce shortages, but misconceptions about the hiring process remain a barrier that organizations like the Mosaic Project are working to overcome.