Immigrant Workers: A Vital Part of the US Workforce Paper Example

Introduction

According to the Census Bureau, the American workforce has 161 million workers.17% of this workforce is composed of immigrants, of which one-third lack authorization to work legally (Harmermesh, 2019). The undocumented immigrant workers, therefore, make up five percent of the workforce. The workforce participation of immigrant workers is 65.2%, while that of native-born workers is 62.3% (Harmermesh, 2019). As a result, immigrants are an essential part of the US workforce with jobs such as construction work, janitors, cooks, food preparation workers, laborers, and material movers having a higher percentage of immigrant workers (Harmermesh, 2019).

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The DACA recipient that has been married in America to make them citizens have evidence that they have overstayed to avoid getting hurdles while applying for the green card (Alulema, 2019). For instance, if a person previously lived in America and got lucky to be inspected by the Customs and Border Protection, they could stay if they have the Visa waiver program

Pros of Immigration

Immigration can fill the labor and wage shortage, leading to increased economic output. The increased commercial production is linked to the net increase in the size of the labor force and productive capacity of the USA economy due to immigration (Spies, 2018). Immigrant workers are less peaky when it comes to finding work, and they are, therefore, willing to work for less pay. Correspondingly small companies are more inclined to hire immigrant workers who fit their budgets than equally qualified native-born workers who are unwilling to compromise on pay cuts.

Indentured loyalty is another advantage of having immigrant workers. Frequently immigrant workers have to have a job to remain in the country. Because of this, immigrant workers have added pressure to meet and surpass the performance standards set within a company (Spies, 2018). If a person applied for DACA before they reached 18 years, they are permitted to go back to their country of origin.

Immigration can benefit the native-born workforce as well. Research highlights that a decrease in the price of immigrant-intensive jobs like gardening, construction, and housekeeping is because of the increase in the population of low-skilled immigrants within the US workforce (Spies, 2018). Having a high figure of low-skilled immigrant labor force lowers the price of immigrant-intensive jobs. If the applicant has been permitted through the Advance Parole Travel Document, they can live in America and return as legal citizens.

Recent research demonstrates that immigration has a positive effect on job creation and preservation (Ian, 81). According to the study, an immigrant worker creates 1.2 jobs for the native-born worker force by rising consumer demand for locally based services and goods. US-natives are also less likely to start or own a company compared to immigrants (Harmermesh, 2019). For instance, immigrants are the majority of the founders of tech companies in the US.

Cons of Immigration

Immigration could harm the GDP per capita (Harmermesh, 2019). With all other factors held constant, an increase in population due to migration will increase national output. A more accurate measure of the effects of immigration on the economy is GDP per head (Harmermesh, 2019). When immigrants are low skilled or are not in the labor markets, there will be a decrease in the real GDP per capita. Structural unemployment is another challenge faced due to immigration (Harmermesh, 2019). For instance, Native-born low-skilled or unskilled workforces who are unwilling to work for lower wages find it harder to get employed.

The employment of an immigrant worker is associated with an array of legal issues. For an immigrant to work or be hired in a small business, it is required of them to fill form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification instead of FormW-9, when they are filling payroll paperwork (Harmermesh, 2019). Immigrants also need Tax Identification Numbers on the Form I-9 since they don't have social security numbers. H1-B visas are issued, but application and maintenance of the permissions have associated costs.

Immigrants are also likely to cause an increase in rent and housing if they move into areas with limited housing (Spies, 2018). Hence, both the native-born and immigrant workforce will experience lower living standards and raised housing poverty (Spies, 2018). During this time, the local population's growth will increase pressure on public services such as schools, hospitals, public transports and roads.

Conclusion

Immigration is becoming increasingly vital for the future workforce since significant numbers of baby boomers will be leaving the workforce. To ensure the future economic needs of our nation, the US will require sound immigration policies. If strict immigration policies are implemented, the gap between job vacancies and available workers will grow. Additionally, the future of the USA workforce will rely on immigrants, and their children as the baby boomers who contribute to a more significant percentage of the current workforce will be leaving the workforce.

References

Alulema, D. (2019). DACA and the Supreme Court: How we got to this point, a statistical profile of who is affected, and what the future may hold for DACA beneficiaries. Center for Migration Studies. https://doi.org/10.14240/cmsrpt111119

Harmermesh, D. (2019). Imperialism, migration and class in the 21st century. Borders, Migration and Class in an Age of Crisis, 17-54. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvk3gkgd.7

Spies, D. C. (2018). Immigration, immigration-related concerns, and welfare support in Europe. Oxford Scholarship Online. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198812906.003.0005