We've all heard the myth before--that immigration is a drain on the economy and a threat to the wages of native-born workers. Yet, again and again research reports debunk the myth, showing that immigrant workers actually grow the U.S. economy and boost income for native workers. Adding to the research, today the Fiscal Policy Institute issued a new report demonstrating the vital force immigrants have played in boosting the American economy.
FPI's analysis demonstrates that even in tough times, immigrants pull more than their weight, contributing to the economy generally in close proportion to their share of overall population. In the 25 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. -- comprising more than half of the country's GDP, and two-thirds of all immigrants -- foreign-born workers are responsible for 20 percent of economic output and make up 20 percent of the population.
Many people hold the misconception that immigrants only work in low-paying jobs--but this isn't true. Although immigrants are more likely to be in lower-wage service or blue-collar occupations, a quarter (24 percent) of immigrants in the 25 metro areas analyzed work in managerial and professional occupations--such as executives, doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, professors and social workers. Another quarter (25 percent) work in technical, sales, and administrative support. Immigrants also play an important role as entrepreneurs and business owners, accounting for 22 percent of all proprietors' income in the 25 metro areas.
Immigrant contributions to the workforce in the metro areas studied are so strong in part because immigrants are more likely to be of working age (between the ages of 16 and 64) than people who were born in the U.S.
A few more highlights of the report's findings:
* In New York City, 54 percent of all security guards, janitors and building service workers, 60 percent of dental assistants, health and nursing aides and 54 percent of food service workers are immigrants.
* In Washington, D.C., both immigrant and U.S.-born workers in high-end jobs earn wages that are well above the median, though U.S.-born workers are doing considerably better than foreign-born workers.
* Roughly one in three residents in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York metro areas are immigrants.
* Nearly half of the labor force in Miami is foreign-born, making it the most heavily immigrant workforce of the 25 largest metro areas in the U.S.
* Typically, where unions are strong, immigrants are part of the picture; where they are not, neither U.S.- nor foreign-born workers are likely to be widely unionized.
* Regions with high union density: 37 percent of all union members are immigrants in the San Francisco metro area, 33 percent in the Los Angeles metro area, and 32 percent in the New York metro area.
"The results of the report are consistent with the experiences we've had with our members across many cities - that immigration and economy go hand-in-hand," says SEIU 32BJ Secretary-Treasurer Hector Figueroa. Figueroa says he hopes that the across-cities analysis and fresh perspective of this report's findings can inform policymakers and encourage the national debate on what kind of immigration policies are best for our country.
The most significant conclusion policymakers should reach upon reading this report? To put it simply: Where there is economic growth, there is immigration. And vice versa -- where there is immigration, there is economic growth.
Read the report here. More information also available at www.fiscalpolicy.org/immigration. Funding for "Immigrants and the Economy" was provided by 32BJ SEIU and the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
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