Analysis: Do Immigrants Take Jobs From American-Born Workers

These leaders misguidedly create an unfair standard that makes skilled immigrants not qualified of an American job and actually believe and stand by the idea that they are stealing American jobs away. On the contrary, for example, evidence is beginning to prove that skilled immigrants implement the bulk of Silicon Valley startups which result in the creation of numerous jobs. According to entrepreneur, Vivek Wadhwa, improper and burdensome U.S. immigration policies are creating a buildup in the granting of permanent resident visas, ensuing in the dismissal of countless highly educated entrepreneurs, which end up placing these entrepreneurs and the potential for economic improvements outside of the United States. Vivek Wadhwa’s article shows us how the U.S. continues to remain oblivious to the economic benefits it can acquire through the retaining of skilled immigrants. Wadhwas demonstrates that other countries are aware of the potential growth skilled immigrants can bring to their country and the United States needs to wake

There is question on whether or not the immigrants will help or hurt the economy. Some say immigrants will take jobs from Americans and damper U.S. tax rolls because they aren’t as skilled or educated. The fact is immigrants actually increase “overall wages and the pool of jobs” and add to the U.S. revenue (Dwoskin). In 2006 there was a suspected “21 million immigrants, about 15 percent of the labor force, [that] h[e]ld jobs in the U.S.” However, the U.S. only had about seven million unemployed. “So the majority of immigrants can't literally have "taken" jobs; they must be doing jobs that wouldn't have existed had the immigrants not been here,” (Lowenstein). Roger Lowenstein also presents a valid and insightful point in stating that immigrants who take these jobs that “wouldn’t have existed”, relative prices could be lowered in a similar way that global trade does.

Illegal immigration is a big problem in the United States. One of the big problems is lost jobs. Millions of American citizens are out of jobs because of foreclosure caused by illegal immigrants. Jobs that are less alluring are being taken over by illegal immigrants. So the Americans who would take these jobs to provide for their families now can't.

Contrary to what Americans believe, immigrants are not taking jobs away from Americans. In Immigration News: New Study Declares Immigration to be a Plus, it states that "Immigration benefits the American economy and overall and has little negative effect on the income and job opportunities of most native-born U.S. citizens." When you look at shops or restaurants in California, Texas, or New York, who do you notice that's running most of those shops and restaurants? Immigrants, whether they're Mexican, Asian, or Natives. Instead of taking away jobs, they create jobs by opening businesses. They spend their income on American goods, and pay taxes; this

A common biased opinion on immigration is that immigrants coming to the United States are taking American jobs. According to the Immigration Policy Center, “research indicates there is little connection between immigrant labor and unemployment rates of native-born workers.” The jobs that immigrants are taking are the low-budget jobs that Americans do not want. They not only get less pay, but also less benefits in comparison to American workers. In fact, according to Forbes, “illegal immigrants actually raise wages for documented/native workers.” America is considered to be more productive when we have more trading partners, Undocumented workers with limited English skills allows more American workers

Over the past two decades the number of low-skilled workers in the United States has increased because of immigration, both legal and illegal. (Chiswick, 2006)

This means that in the working class most affected by immigration, the least educated and least skilled native-born Americans, the changes in wages are hardly noticeable due to immigrants. In actuality, the “overall low-skilled native wages are 2.4 percent lower as a result of immigration” (Orrenius 21). Additionally, in many cases the job or profession is one that would not appeal to a native-born American, such as lawn services, construction, or janitorial work. This supply of cheap labor actually benefits American

Some argue that immigrants will take our jobs after the allowance of legalization and attendance of postsecondary education. It is a true fact that those who become legal in the labor market will demand better treatment, respect, increased wages, and employee benefits. Those, who already have a degree, and clean houses for living due to their status, will apply for jobs equal to their education. Although the fact that they will take our job is true to some degree, it is a rhetoric marketed exaggerator, installed to create fear, and lead to an opposition to immigration reform. The legalization will affect most companies that benefit from a mistreatment of undocumented immigrants and will affect businesses that profit from underpaying their hired laborers, documented or undocumented. According to Aviva Chomsky, “Governments have made sure that there are people without rights to fulfill business’s need for cheap workers and high profits” (126). Businesses tend to oppose restriction on immigration today because inequality maintains a population of poor people who lack access to resources, and who may have little alternative but to accept jobs under the worst of conditions (15). “The answer to the low-wage problem is not to restrict the rights of people at the bottom even more (through deportations, criminalization, etc.) but to challenge the accord between business and government that promote the low-wage, high-profit model” (27). Immigrants have always flooded America, to work as a cheap labor, work under strenuous conditions, send remittance to their home countries, and return home. The fact that people believed immigrants come to steal the American wealth is altered by the globalization of the economy, and it hurts to have a vulnerable nation labor force to compete with other countries. According to Chomsky, “As of 2005, Social Security was receiving about $7 billion a year through false social security numbers provided by illegal immigrant workers” (38). This fact is based on a low-income/low immigrant wage. Therefore, allowing immigrants to access higher education and better-paid jobs will result in higher income taxes, higher real estate and consumer’s taxes, community involvement and volunteering. If the

I personally don’t think Immigrants are taking American jobs because if Americans really wanted the jobs immigrants have, they would’ve tried to fight over their rights a long time ago. It’s been put out a lot of times that immigrants take American jobs, but no one really cares because the jobs immigrants have nobody would want. Immigrants didn’t come to the U.S. to intentionally take jobs from Americans, they come here to make a better life for them and their family.

In the first place, immigrants occupy different spectrums of the labor workforce. However, a significant portion of immigrants have jobs that require a minimal level of education such as janitors, truck drivers, nannies, and housekeepers. Moreover, many undocumented immigrants will work for a relatively lower wage, in order to make ends meet. Like Wendell mentioned in his article, “Undocumented workers pour billions into the coffers of state and federal [governments] ... “(Wendell). What some fail to acknowledge is that the people working these positions play an important role in our society, in that without them we would not be able to function in the manner that we currently do. Moreover, immigrants tend to be hard workers because they are appreciative of the opportunity for a better life compared to what they had before, and most tend to have additional responsibilities such as sending money to their country of origin to

Since the immigrants came to the country, job employment has gone down and the Americans interpret that in a bad way because they think that the immigrants are taking away opportunities from them. Although job employment has gone down, that doesn't mean that it's ruining the chances Americans have to work, “We found little to no negative effect on overall wages and employment of native workers in the long term” (Preston). SInce immigrants are working so much, they create their own businesses. By creating their own company, they provide work for the Americans. It gives Americans another chance to find a job, “High skilled immigrants, especially in technology and science, who have come in larger numbers in recent years, had a significant “positive impact” on Americans with skills” (Preston). Immigrants give Americans the opportunity to find another job. If the immigrants were taking their jobs away, they wouldn't be hiring them to start out with. Americans are being payed full price and fairly, the immigrants are not favoring foreigners. Immigrants are more optimistic on taking on jobs that the Americans didn't

This also reported that the average immigrant contributes around $120,000 more in taxes than what they consume in public services. David Card of the University of California discovered that “immigration yields a 5% increase in overall wage quality” (Manhattan Institute). Immigrants, especially undocumented immigrants, tend to be employed in low-skilled, labor-intensive careers. The notion that migrant workers “steal” jobs from honest, hard working Americans is rapidly being disproved; an American Community Survey done in 2013 revealed that the top two jobs for immigrant workers without high school diplomas were positions as maids and housecleaners, with line cooks coming in a close second. However, the top two occupations for native workers were cashiers and truck drivers (Tanvi Misra, City Lab). The results are clear: undocumented immigrants and native born workers are not competing for the same jobs. These positions need to be occupied, and more often than not it is immigrants who fulfill them; they do not just stabilize the economy, they are actually proven to enhance it.

The proponents to accepting these illegal immigrants and granting them citizenship believe that the undocumented workers provide a vital asset to our nation’s economy. Bardow suggests that many immigrants help to create jobs and drive innovation. According to employers with entry-level positions, the American labor force is unwilling to work at those positions. Nor, will they accept the salaries paid to undocumented workers. Proponents are also sympathetic to the quality of life the immigrants are experiencing in their home countries, the costs they must incur to reach our country, and the contributions these workers are making in our homes and businesses. An article in Pro/Con states that although “the wages for low-skilled worker go down’, but ‘the rest

A debate that always seems to raise its ugly head when the issue of "foreign labor" is discussed concerns the types of jobs that immigrants take and whether they are actually taking these jobs away from American workers. I look at it as jobs they are "left with", not ones they are taking. The debate always shows an American family that has been displaced or lost their livelihood because they can no longer compete with cheaper labor. In reality the jobs that the immigrants get are the most undesirable, strenuous and dangerous ones. The only American workers that they compete with are the unskilled ones. I intend to explore if immigrants "taking" American jobs, if they are only taking the jobs that

Many people who disapprove of immigration base their opinions on arguments that are purely fictitious. One such argument against immigration is that immigrants take away American jobs and are a drain on the U.S. economy. However, the only competition with immigrants is the skilled immigrants versus the skilled natives, and the unskilled immigrants versus the unskilled natives. Therefore, the person with the most skills deserves the job. If that person is an immigrant, then so be it. Obviously stated, the person who works the hardest and has the most knowledge gets the reward. Immigrants only hurt those who are less qualified. Another problem that comes up when talking about immigrants taking away jobs is that immigrants will work for less, so they are hired more often than are the natives who are seeking employment. Of course immigrants will work for a lower wage; they want to succeed in this country and in order to live a decent life, they need an income, and they best and most legal way to do such a thing is to work. If they cannot find employment elsewhere, they will settle for being paid lower wages. Instead of putting the blame on immigrants, people should look to the cause of the problem: the employers. It is not the immigrant’s