Open Immigration Case Study

In 1980 the Miami immigrant population severely increase and instead of native wages decreasing and unemployment increasing, the Miami labor force grew by 7%. Moreover, “the percentage increase on labor supply to less-skilled occupants and industries was even greater,” than 7%, because the majority of immigrants who came to Miami at the time were relatively unskilled. This influx of immigrant labor appeared to have had virtually no effect on the wages of the unemployment rates of similarly unskilled native workers. Miami’s labor market was able to absorb the employment needs of these new immigrants by creating new work that natives do not compete for. The new immigrant labor forces ultimately benefited American natives and the US economy as a whole. President Elect Donald Trump is looking to reshape the American Immigration policy in …show more content…
As in the case for Miami, a pro-immigration policy benefits the U.S economy because immigrant workers occupy large portions of low-skilled work sectors that are otherwise underpopulated, compliment native labor markets, and boost American competition world wide. This memo will asses the ways in which immigrants contribute to the American economy, address counter argument to the economic benefits of open immigration, and will advice President Elect Donald Trump on his future policy plans. Immigrants fill specific low skilled jobs markets that otherwise would be severely underpopulated. Despite the common assumption that wages for natives will decline and unemployment will expand with an influx of immigrants; empirical studies show that the impact of immigrants on native employment is insignificant. Card explains that immigrants have on average, “slightly lower skills than the native population,” and thus do not compete for jobs natives might want. Most immigrants do not have the “soft skills” needed to work certain low-skilled jobs, meaning immigrants generally do not have the