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Many Americans are concerned about the social and economic impacts of immigration. Traditionally, immigrants have settled in “gateway” states such as California, New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois, and New Jersey, but in a demographic shift, new areas are becoming immigrant receiving communities in the Midwestern and Southern states. In some states the stream of immigrants is essential to population growth and maintaining the economy. The report reflects that immigrant numbers should be taken in the context of native population growth or decline to better understand the impact of immigration.
The report notes that area Latino business districts are among the most successful in the Chicago region, with Latino-owned businesses posting $7.4 billion in sales in 2002. The report indicates that fully engaging Mexicans in Chicago's economic development will require overcoming language, educational and other skills challenges, and that, to accomplish this, it is necessary to strive for a comprehensive set of policies that promote the economic development, educational advancement, political and civic participation, and the health of the Mexican community in the Chicago region.
This analysis shows the striking propensity of immigrants to start and grow successful American companies, particularly in the technology field. The study's findings reflect the benefits of an open policy toward legal immigration. However, it also reveals that current restrictions on skilled immigrants are likely to result in less job creation and innovation for America.
The need for a workforce to fill middle-skill jobs, those requiring more education than high school but less than a bachelor's degree, will likely remain strong in the coming years. Because Baby Boomer retirements will occur most rapidly in the lower to middle ranges of skills and immigrants are more likely to fill the bottom and top jobs, expanded educational opportunities and workforce training programs will be essential for less-educated workers to meet the demands of the U.S. economy.
The analysis paints a detailed picture of the penalties of wages and living conditions imposed on undocumented workers by their lack of legal status, with results relevant to other large urban areas where the undocumented are concentrated. A survey of 1,323 immigrant workers found Latin American workers earned less than other comparable workers (22 percent for men and 36 percent for women) and reported higher levels of unsafe working conditions, wage-and-hour violations, and lack of health insurance.
This report provides estimates on federal, state, and local taxes paid by immigrant households in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region in 1999-2000 and documents their demographics, household composition, income, and dispersal across jurisdictions in the region.
Trends in the U.S. economy and labor force over the past 30 years have implications for the workforce and for low-wage workers and their families in particular. This article discusses the increased diversity in the workforce, the growing need for low-skilled workers, the skills gap between high- and low-skilled workers, and the number of working poor in the United States.
Written for the North Carolina Bankers Association, this report looks at the impact of Latino workers on the North Carolina economy. In the past decade, North Carolina has experienced the largest increase in Hispanic population in the United States. This study documents the nature and magnitude of North Carolina's population change and estimates the economic impact of Hispanic residents on individual counties, metropolitan areas, and the state as a whole.
Although immigration is crucial to the growth of the U.S. labor force and yields a net fiscal benefit to the U.S. economy, current immigration policies fail to respond to actual labor demand. Immigration has become the key to growth in the U.S. labor force, according to the Economic Report of the President 2005 and other data sources. This study explores the importance of immigration to the U.S. economy.
In the ongoing debate about immigration, a number of studies have shown that immigrants have a positive impact on wages since, in addition to adding more people to the workforce, immigrants also consume goods and services which create jobs. This briefing paper examines the existing research and literature on the topic and follows with the author's own analysis of the available data. It finds that any negative effects of new immigration between 1994 and 2007 were felt largely by the workers who are the most substitutable for new immigrants—that is, earlier immigrants.
There is nationwide concern that undocumented immigrants are a drain on state and local governments, costing taxpayers and contributing little back to the economy. This study estimates the size of the undocumented population in Virginia and finds that this population is an important contributor to state resources by paying taxes.
Rapid increases in the foreign-born population at the state level are not associated with negative effects on the employment of native-born workers, according to a study by the Pew Hispanic Center that examines data during the boom years of the 1990s and the downturn and recovery since 2000. An analysis of the relationship between growth in the foreign-born population and the employment outcomes of native-born workers revealed wide variations and no consistent pattern across the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
In recent decades, cities across America have experienced demographic change, due in part to changing patterns of migration. Immigrants are key members of their communities and have a greater level of self-employment compared to native born residents. This report examines the revitalization of three Boston neighborhoods - Allston Village, East Boston, and Fields Corner - and the role that immigrant entrepreneurs have played in economic development.
The authors find that immigrants have been a driving force behind labor market growth in the United States in the past three decades. If immigration remains at current levels, immigrants and their children are projected to account for all growth in the US labor force between 2010 and 2030.
This report examines the economic role of immigrants in the 25 largest metropolitan areas in the United States. The results are clear: immigrants contribute to the economy in direct relation to their share of the population. The economy of metro areas grows in tandem with immigrant share of the labor force. Economic growth does not guarantee, however, that pay and other conditions of employment improve significantly for all workers. The challenge is to make sure that immigrants and U.S.-born workers struggling in low-wage jobs share in the benefits of economic growth.
This study was prepared by the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy as a part of the California Regional Economies Project. It documents that even though immigration policy is a federal responsibility, the effects of immigration are concentrated in states, such as California, where most immigrants live.
This publication is a compilation of recent research findings on immigrants in California and their economic and social contributions to our state. The data present a snapshot of key facts about California's newcomer population, highlighting the ways in which immigrants help to strengthen the economy and enrich the state’s cultural life. The report is the result of a 6-month project and literature review by CIWC aimed at providing a concise analysis of immigrant contributions to California that can be used by advocates, students, the media and others, both as a source and a reference guide.
This summary of key facts about the newcomer population in California outlines the economic contributions of newcomers including the extent of immigrant entrepreneurship, contributions to the state’s GDP and tax base, as well as the size of the eligible voting population. Over the course of the year, CIPC also released sub-sections of the report highlighting six regions where immigrants are an important and growing segment of the population: Fresno, Inland Empire, Santa Clara, Orange County, San Diego, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
This report examines the myriad impacts of the global financial crisis on global migration, finding that economic migration has slowed in recent months due to reduced job opportunities in destination countries and yet migrants are not returning to their countries of origin despite diminished economic opportunities.
The report focuses on migration flows to and from the major migrant-destination regions of the world, including: the United States, European Union, Canada and Australia; as well as movement in major migration corridors: the United States-Mexico; United Kingdom-Eastern Europe; Spain-Romania and Spain-Morocco; and Gulf State flows from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and the Philippines.
Immigration is one of the United States’ most distinguishing characteristics, helping to drive economic growth and define national identity since the country’s founding. However, the integration of newcomers has always presented serious challenges for both the newcomers and the communities that receive them. The report offers an in-depth look at the historical context for integration.
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