THE FINE FOR SUCH HIRING IS $5000 per day per employee.
HAS BEEN IN PLACE FOR DECADES,
Is it being levied?
When dealing with it in an earlier life, $1,000 was the fine applied to state projects in my state. $5000 may be the current rate in your state.
To be more accurate, between state and federal, civil or criminal, first-time or repeated violations, the per day fines currently range from $627 - $26,000+ for each unauthorized employee.
No illegal is worth hiring on a construction project at that rate, whether skilled or not - assuming, of course, the law is enforced.
State and federal governments (self-serving or bought politicians) not enforcing the law is what prompted the whole mess in the first place.
BTW, my hearing is just fine.