INTERNEWSTIMES.COM – Amidst heated rhetoric on the campaign trail, a chorus of economists are pushing back against claims that immigrants are taking jobs from US-born workers. They argue that immigrants, rather than being a drain on the job market, are actually a valuable asset to the US economy.
While Republican nominee Donald Trump frequently claims immigrants are “taking your jobs,” economists who study the impact of immigration on the labor market paint a different picture. They argue that immigrants contribute to the overall economy and job market by creating new jobs through spending and entrepreneurship. A 2020 study found immigrants are 80% more likely to become entrepreneurs than native workers.
Furthermore, economists emphasize that immigrants often complement, rather than compete with, US citizens in many job positions. While some research suggests immigration can impact the wages of certain subgroups of US-born workers, particularly those with lower levels of educational attainment, the overall consensus is that there are no significant costs to US-born workers from immigration.
In fact, the recent influx of immigrants has actually been beneficial to the pandemic-era economy, helping to cool an overheated labor market and alleviate staffing shortages. Economists argue that immigrants have filled available jobs rather than competing with US citizens for existing positions.
Even before the pandemic, a 2017 consensus viewpoint from economists found “little evidence that immigration significantly affects” overall employment levels among Americans.
While some research suggests that immigration can negatively impact the wages of native-born high school dropouts, economists emphasize that immigrants also create jobs and that the job creation effect outweighs the competition effect, even in the short term.
The debate surrounding the impact of immigration on the US economy is complex and ongoing. However, the evidence suggests that immigrants are not a drain on the job market but rather a valuable asset to the US economy. (Red)
