Most foreign-born workers tend to pay more into the economy than they receive in government services, and end up helping create jobs for U.S. natives, a new report shows.
The report from the American Enterprise Institute and the Partnership for a New American Economy outlines several areas where changes in immigration policies could help job growth, decrease deficits and improve the economy.
“American's immigration policy is not geared toward stimulating economic growth and job creation,” the report states. “Every other developed country puts more emphasis on admitting immigrants that will meet economic needs.”
The report recommends incremental changes to the country's immigration policy that could “boost employment and accelerate the country's economic recovery.”
Also suggested is an increase in the number of workers' visas made available annually, particularly for highly skilled workers trained in advanced math and science fields. Making more temporary visas for both skilled and less skilled workers “would help generate the growth, economic opportunity, and new jobs America needs,” the report states.
According to the report:
About 7 percent of the more than 1 million green cards issued yearly are based on employment. Canada admits about 25 percent of its immigrants based on employment, Australia 42 percent and Germany and the United Kingdom almost 60 percent.
“It's a frustrating thing,” said Greater Oklahoma City Chamber CEO Roy Williams. “We hear from the business community about this very thing ... and it's not about cheap workers, it's about the companies being able to recruit internationally.”
Immigration can complement job growth, particularly over the long term. Supporters of tougher immigration laws often characterize the argument as one of job competition — an immigrant takes the job of a U.S. citizen or lowers wages for a certain job.
Educated immigrants tend to start up businesses, apply for patents and drive innovation, creating more jobs. Foreign-born workers often have different skills than U.S. natives, and frequently work in jobs where it's harder to recruit native workers.
“It's not about taking jobs,” Williams said. “It's definitely more complex than that.”
The more educated the immigrant, the higher their tax payments and lower their government assistance. Foreign-born adults pay on average about $7,800 in federal, state and employment taxes while their families receive $4,400 in cash and other assistance from the government.
Undocumented workers comprise about 30 percent of all immigrants here, and make up about 20 percent of all adults in the country without a high school diploma.
Foreign-born workers are heavily present in highly skilled jobs in sciences and medicine and in low-skilled jobs like construction, housekeeping and agricultural laborers.
‘Race for talent'
Also at issue are U.S.-educated graduates who grow up living in the country, going to school here and find no sanctuary for their undocumented status when they're ready to enter the job market, according to the report.
Recently, this issue has been brought up through proposed legislation like the Dream Act, which would allow a path to residency for undocumented youths educated in the U.S., who've lived here a number of years and meet other criteria.
“This is about a global race for talent,” Williams said. “When we export foreign students back home, they inevitably will compete against us.”
Oklahoma City immigration attorney Vance Winnigham said an issue lightly touched upon in the report is the declining American birthrate and a rapidly aging population here.
“The gap between employed versus retired is continuing to narrow,” Winnigham said. Immigration policies in other developed countries seek to attract and keep highly educated immigrants.
Winnigham said more “enlightened” immigration policies also would likely decrease the numbers of immigrants overstaying visas or entering the country illegally to work.
Highly educated workers seeking permanent residence here has subsided while underdeveloped or undeveloped countries are offering increased opportunities for them, he said.
“We have a lot of global companies here. If they can't bring the talent here, they go to the talent,” added Williams.
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