According to a 2018 study by the Pew Research Center, more than 44.8 million people residing in the United States are immigrants, with over 75% living in the country legally. For decades now, there has been a common misconception circulating that immigrants snatch the jobs of US-born citizens, impact their wages, and hinder the economy.
However, the above claims of people couldn’t be more wrong. In fact, various studies have found the impact of immigration on the US economy to be positive. The contributions of this specific portion of the US population have not only helped in boosting the economy but have also benefited the communities.
Let’s walk through a few of the many positive impacts of immigration on the US economy.
Immigrants work in Industries that are vital to the sustenance of our Economy
Certain essential industries such as construction, food manufacturing, textile, accommodation, farming, etc. always remain in need of workers who might not be highly educated and boast strong technical skills but are capable of taking up high work-rate jobs.
However, a significant portion of the Native-American population isn’t willing to take up these low-skilled jobs. These jobs are taken up by immigrants and this is how they prove their importance. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) stated in 2015 that it would be next to impossible to replace the economic contributions made by the immigrants.
Immigrants can help with the Declining Birth Rate in the US
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that the native US population recently recorded alarmingly low national birth rate levels. A low birth rate adversely affects the economy in more than one way. For starters, it can slow down the economy. Moreover, such a condition also hinders the demand among various industries such as housing.
The major concern associated with a low birth rate is the fact that the baby boom generation in the US is aging and will soon fall into the retirement category. However, immigrants have proven to be helpful in boosting the worker-to-retiree ratio.
Children of Immigrants boast the potential to give back to the Country
For all the people doubting the role of immigrants in the sustenance of the US, and everyone supporting a ban on their entry into the states, it should be clarified that the USA’s long-term success and strength can be determined by the children of foreign-born Americans.
Various reports have revealed that even though their parents didn’t get a chance to attain proper education, the immigrants’ children are actually acing their academics. In March 2018, it was revealed that over 4 in 10 (42% to be precise) immigrants’ children (born in the US) in their 30s had a full-fledged college degree.
Immigrants help in reducing the Federal Tax imposed on Natives
The recent influx of immigrants comprises individuals who are mostly of working age. Not only do these immigrants not exhaust the Social Security and Medicare benefits, but they also help in paying taxes allotted to defense spend. Consequently, this brings down the tax amount imposed on a particular native American.
Negative impacts of Immigration
It doesn’t matter whether we are discussing the impact of illegal immigration on the US economy or that of legal immigration, the non-native Americans have been proving their worth by making significant economic contributions for decades.
However, it wouldn’t be fair to highlight the positives of immigration without discussing the downsides as well. Yes, there are certain shortcomings associated with the immigrants taking up jobs.
When immigrants join the workforce, it results in the reduction of the wages of the competing workers. However, this abrupt change in balance doesn’t impact the workers in the upper class. Moreover, this change is more than likely to affect fellow immigrants who had been working before the new immigrants joined than native Americans.
