One of the most talked-about topics currently in the United States involves the numerous amounts of immigrants coming to the U.S. Often, people who talk about this topic say that immigration will be the end of the economy, or that immigrants are stealing American jobs. However, this may not be the case, in fact, it could be the exact opposite of the truth.
One of the largest arguments created by the surge in immigration has to be the “they’re taking our jobs”. Although this may seem truthful at first, academic research proves otherwise. Evidence provided by the University of Pennsylvania states that “Immigrants are often imperfect substitutes for native-born workers in U.S. labor markets. That means they do not compete for the same jobs and put minimal downward pressure on natives’ wages.” This clearly shows that the effect given by the immigrant population is not a problem that could lead to economic disaster. This is also true, due to the fact that many of the jobs taken by immigrants are jobs that not many Americans would do.
As shown by this image the majority of immigrants will take jobs like maids/housekeepers, miscellaneous agricultural workers, and construction laborers. The main reason immigrants are well fit for these types of jobs is the fact that these are examples of blue-collar jobs that do not require a more advanced education to do, and instead rely on physical labor.
Just by living in the US, immigrants also help out the economy. This is because they buy food, entertainment products, etc. This helps the economy as it increases demand, and therefore creates jobs to build homes and the products they buy. According to cbpp.org, “They work at high rates and make up more than a third of the workforce in some industries.” This shows how much immigrants do for this country, and it also shows how much they do for the economy.
In conclusion, there are many people who are misinterpreting immigration in the U.S. One of the largest reasons for this would be the fact that many people fail to do research on this topic and rather just listen to what is put in the news. I am not saying that what the news says is a lie, but in many cases what the news companies do is exaggerate the truth to a point that makes the immigrants look bad. This is why it’s best to research more and find out different perspectives on the case to allow all of us to be better informed.
Works Cited
PPI, Wharton. “The Effects of Immigration on the United States' Economy.” Penn Wharton Budget Model, Penn Wharton Budget Model, 27 June 2016, budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2016/1/27/the-effects-of-immigration-on-the-united-states-economy.
Sherman, Arloc, and Danilo Trisi. “Immigrants Contribute Greatly to U.S. Economy, Despite Administration's ‘Public Charge’ Rule Rationale.” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 15 Aug. 2019, www.cbpp.org/research/poverty-and-inequality/immigrants-contribute-greatly-to-us-economy-despite-administrations.
Tanvi Misra, CityLab. “Immigrants Aren't Stealing American Jobs.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 29 Aug. 2016, www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/10/immigrants-arent-stealing-american-jobs/433158/.
Alan, thank you so much for writing on this topic of immigration!! I support all of your claims that immigrants are what keeps the United States running; they are willing to do the jobs that most Americans are not willing. Not only does it benefit productivity, but it benefits our economy greatly as well. I agree, many people are simply not educated enough about the purposes and stories of immigrants and therefore, that causes them to believe the first thing they hear, whether it be on social media platforms, the internet, or the news. I hope more people read this and understand the significant benefits of immigrants in the United States; after all, the US is a melting pot of immigrants...
ReplyDeleteI always wondered if the statement that immigrants would just be taking our jobs had any significance because it seems to be an awfully selfish statement. Many immigrants want to come here in search of asylum or to create a better life for themselves and their family. Immigrants usually work very hard, taking jobs that might not pay as much since it does not require a degree and to create a new stable life. Yes, they are "taking" jobs in a sense but not in the way that there are no options left for Americans. In my opinion, it's probably these immigrants that have kids they need to care for that work more proactively than the average American because they are fighting for a better life. My mom immigrated here from England when she was five and my grandparents (her parents) didn't have jobs that require a degree but she was then able to be the first in her family to get a college education and become a teacher.
ReplyDeleteThis is an amazing thing to write about. As you said, so many people misrepresent immigrants; because of that, policies are being enacted that limit immigration, or so policy makers think. Right now, the US's unemployment rate is slightly lower that full employment. Which means that some businesses, especially small business, are having trouble finding jobs. Having a large influx of low skill workers will temporarily solve this issue. However, if we don't solve the economic problems of this country, immigrants seeking the American Dream will get nothing but deep poverty.
ReplyDeleteI’ve never understood the claim that immigrants steal jobs. As mentioned in your article, immigrants without high school diplomas or higher education tend to aim for blue-collar jobs that require physical labor, not specific knowledge or specialization. I’m certain that very few “natural-born” Americans want these jobs, and those that do go for those jobs are not immediately ignored in favor of immigrants. In addition, immigrants are more likely to have riskier jobs than natives. This is in part due to the disproportionate number of immigrants working in agriculture and construction (industries with high fatality and injury levels). However, within these more dangerous industries, immigrants may complete more risky tasks than their native counterparts. Immigrants don’t want to work jobs where they’re potentially in danger, but in order to provide for themselves and their families, they have to take any opportunity that arises. Finally, immigrants usually work more than natives and are paid less for their work, despite making up almost 20 percent of America’s labor force (according to a report by Goldman Sachs). Overall, increasing the population through immigration improves the American economy by creating more jobs and increasing the total number of consumer spending dollars.
ReplyDeleteI'm grateful that you decided to do research on this topic. It proves how important immigration is to the American economy and how important it is to the country just in general. Without immigrants, our country wouldn't be where it is right now and many people seem to forget that. It doesn't make sense to accuse them of stealing jobs when without them, many important industries would be severely understaffed. Like construction, which really needs more workers at the moment. Without having people to make our homes and offices, life in America would crumble. I appreciate talking about the importance of immigrants to the American economy, I think it'd also very interesting to mention the rate of immigration and the differing working conditions.
ReplyDeleteI am totally fine with immigrants taking jobs in the United States, and don't think immigrants steal jobs. It actually improves the economy instead. Like your article says, they usually do not do the jobs that require a college degree. They take the jobs mot americans don't want that require hard labor. But, I am against illegal immigrants coming into the country, and think that they should become citzens and take the test if they want to live in United States instead of sneaking in against the law.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very truthful and insightful post. Many people who claim that immigrants take jobs and are bad for the economy have no idea what they are talking about! People against immigration are quick to make assumptions and labels such as this one. However you were completely correct when stating that they boost the economy by living in the USA and buying our products, and they have jobs that many Americans don't work. We would probably have a huge issue if immigrants stopped working because there would be no one to do their jobs! In the end, America was made off of immigrants and we should be grateful for the work that they do in our country.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree Mexicans do not "steal jobs" from Americans they do the jobs that most Americans do not want to do.It is true that immigrants do support the economy but illegal immigrants who come to America and do jobs Americans don't want to do is a positive but illegal immigrants don't pay the same taxes as everyone else because they aren't legally registered in the U.S this is where the economy sees a negative affect because the taxes they do not pay as a whole doesn't outweigh the work they are providing in the U.S.. There are many ways to fix this issue but I would have to say that immigration should still be strictly monitored but anything the government can do to make the process of immigration faster would be very beneficial.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your stance on this topic. All though we see more and more immigrants getting jobs that does not mean they are taking jobs there are just more jobs open. Also the top 10 jobs that don't need an education for immigrant workers are not the best paying jobs and are not extremely hard to get which also adds to the argument showing that they are just filling jobs that are needed and are easy to get in America.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with this blog comment, I never thought that immigrants took jobs because I look at it as if more people come into the United States, more jobs could also be created as well. I never realized the majority of immigrants become maids or housekeepers or cooks. I like the visual diagram you provided because it is easy to identify what jobs a lot of immigrants pursue. A large chunk of people born in the US go to college and it opens up jobs for immigrants that don’t have as strong of an education as people who attend/ed college. By also letting immigrants into the US, the economy could potentially grow because of more people spending money on buying items. I can see how people think immigrants are stealing jobs from people born in the United States, yet they really aren’t because there are a lot of immigrants that work more blue collar jobs and they also help out the economy.
ReplyDeleteI am super happy that you decided to write and research this topic. Many Americans don’t actually do their research when taking a stance on a political viewpoint and I think it is crucial to know the facts before forming an opinion. And I agree with you, immigrants (whether legal or illegal) take the jobs that many Americans don’t want to take. As you stated in your blog post, immigrants not only take the jobs many Americans don’t want, but they also help contribute to the economy by working, making money, and then spending that money on goods and services. Something interesting to think about when talking about immigration and the impacts of it on the economy is that “undocumented immigrants contribute $7 billion annually to Social Security, and $1.5 billion to Medicare” (Fear vs. Fact: Examining the Economic Impact of Undocumented Immigrants in the U.S.). So really, immigrants are very beneficial to the economy as you stated in the post, but they’re also important for our retirement because they contribute towards Social Security and Medicare which are all things we use when we’ll retire
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited
Becerra, David; Androff, David K.; Ayón, Cecilia; and Castillo, Jason T. (2012) "Fear vs. Facts: Examining the Economic Impact of Undocumented Immigrants in the U.S.," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 39 : Iss. 4 , Article 7.
I completely agree with your stance on this topic. I also do believe that many Americans misinterpret why immigrants are here, and don't put in research to see all the positives they bring to the table. There are certain people who tell our population that they are bad, in reality they make up 1/3 of the workforce population. On top of that they also increase the demand when they buy different goods, thus increasing demand. This topic was the perfect topic to write about. I'm glad that you were able to add in many beneficial statistics as well.
ReplyDeleteAlan, I thank you for this post because it debunks a lot of the ignorant things I've heard lately. What people don't realize, or refuse to accept, is that immigrants are just as human as anyone else. That they deserve the same respect and dignity as any other person in our country. The only difference between an immigrant a non-immigrant is what they're willing to do to survive. The drive, dedication, and motivation to work and earn an income that immigrants possess are completely unmatched. You can see this in the list of miscellaneous jobs they're willing to work because that is where the money is. That is where survival is.
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