Should you be applying for employment-based green card in this economy?

A lot of employers have been asking this question in the last few months. Is it even possible to get a labor certification with the US unemployment at a 26-year high.

The answer is yes, if the job requires skills that are not available in the market. For instance, physicians and health care workers in certain areas, IT professionals with specialized skills such as warehousing, BI, LAMP and other open source products, advanced ERP packages (like Peoplesoft, Oracle Apps, SAP, Documentum), Pharmacists, CPA's... there are so many professions and skills still in demand. This list is by no means exhaustive.

The way I look at it, at least you should try. If you fail, at the most you have lost money and can try again in a few months. Job markets can change very rapidly.