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Immigrants lead the number of jobs added to the economy since 2019

A report from the Center for Immigration Studies revealed that since Joe Biden took office as president, 3.2 million foreign-born workers and only 971,000 Native American citizens have been hired.

Personas esperando su turno para entrar a EEUU.

(Inmigrantes esperando para entrar a EEUU/CBP)

Published by
Verónica Silveri Pazos

Topics:

A report from the Center for Immigration Studies (CEI) revealed that the majority of jobs that have been added to the country's economy since 2019 - when Joe Biden took office as president - have been for foreign-born workers.

President Biden claimed in April that the United States has 'the best economy in the world,' with a labor market that the New York Times calls 'historically strong.' Unfortunately, too many American-born are missing out on the so-called "job creation boom."

According to the CEI study, immigrants - both legal and illegal - are those who have been employed the most in the last five years. The analysis highlights how - since May 2019 - 971,000 jobs have been occupied by citizens born in the US, compared to 3.2 million for workers born abroad :

It is true that the country has added millions of jobs since the height of Covid. However, most of that job growth has gone to immigrants, both legal and illegal. The government's household survey shows there were only 971,000 more American-born Americans employed in May 2024 compared to May 2019 before the pandemic, while the number of employed immigrants has increased by 3.2 million.

The deterioration of the labor participation rate

The labor force participation rate has fallen to its lowest point for men who are "in their prime working years" (ages 25-54):

Despite 'the best economy in the world,' labor force participation of the least educated prime-age men (25-54) born in the US remains at historic lows compared to earlier highs in the business cycle.

"There is a significant literature showing that being out of the workforce is associated with social pathologies such as crime, social isolation, overdose deaths, and welfare dependency," the report notes.

Policymakers should consider encouraging work among the millions of working-age Americans on the economic margins rather than ignoring the problem and continuing to allow large numbers of legal and illegal immigrants.
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