Immigrants: There is Strength in Diversity
Gerrison Sims
The United States was built from an organization of immigrants. The “melting pot” culture in America has helped shape our country from the day the first settlers set foot in North America. The positive aspects of immigration to America are still visible today. In the past two decades, immigration has enriched the culture of the U.S. in many new ways. The diversity of these groups not only forms a demographic that is ethnically mixed, but one that strengthens our nation as a whole. Recent immigrants have vitalized critical sectors of our workforce, allowing our economy to continue to grow. One of these sectors is the food industry, which not only serves as an economic pillar, but also …show more content…
for jobs. While this is a reasonable concern, simple research proves the opposite of this to be true. By and large, immigrants actually provide a boost to the American workforce through several specific benefits. One of these benefits is that immigrants often are more readily willing to perform jobs that most American-born citizens either can or will not participate in without significant wages (Griswold, 2002). These jobs are often low paying, labor intensive services that can be performed by immigrants for a much lower wage than most American-born citizens demand. The result of this is a lower cost for the goods and services that employ immigrant labor, making the cost of living much more affordable for many Americans. The other benefit of employing immigrant labor is seen on the opposite end of the pay scale. I learned from Cummins Engine Corporation, which is based in my home town, that often in larger companies there is a large demand for highly skilled workers to fill positions that are very well paid. The needs of the company are not easily met; however, many well-educated immigrants find careers in these jobs. Many companies prefer to hire these immigrants based on the belief that the differences in ethnic backgrounds allow the companies to build on the diversity and grow more easily. The large …show more content…
There is little debate in the developed world that having people from different backgrounds can help strengthen a group as a whole. This is because people, by nature, have different strengths and weaknesses. These traits are often rooted in culture, shaped by the person’s upbringing, their life experiences, and the education they received. A diverse group can build off of these strengths and weaknesses by exploiting the strengths across the board to make up for the weaknesses. This effect is evident a small group as well as nationally. Immigrants bring these strengths with them to the U.S. As a matter of fact, it could easily be reasoned that the United States has become what is considered a world superpower in large part due to the strength provided by the diversity of its citizens. It is important that the U.S. continues to prioritize this diversity by allowing immigrants to make their home in the U.S. Optimistically, current immigration rates the U.S. project a population growth of nearly 93 million people in the next 35 years, the fifth highest in the world (Friedman, 2012). Immigrants make up a significant portion of this number. Ensuring their presence in the future of the country will allow America to further grow and
Gerrison Sims
The United States was built from an organization of immigrants. The “melting pot” culture in America has helped shape our country from the day the first settlers set foot in North America. The positive aspects of immigration to America are still visible today. In the past two decades, immigration has enriched the culture of the U.S. in many new ways. The diversity of these groups not only forms a demographic that is ethnically mixed, but one that strengthens our nation as a whole. Recent immigrants have vitalized critical sectors of our workforce, allowing our economy to continue to grow. One of these sectors is the food industry, which not only serves as an economic pillar, but also …show more content…
for jobs. While this is a reasonable concern, simple research proves the opposite of this to be true. By and large, immigrants actually provide a boost to the American workforce through several specific benefits. One of these benefits is that immigrants often are more readily willing to perform jobs that most American-born citizens either can or will not participate in without significant wages (Griswold, 2002). These jobs are often low paying, labor intensive services that can be performed by immigrants for a much lower wage than most American-born citizens demand. The result of this is a lower cost for the goods and services that employ immigrant labor, making the cost of living much more affordable for many Americans. The other benefit of employing immigrant labor is seen on the opposite end of the pay scale. I learned from Cummins Engine Corporation, which is based in my home town, that often in larger companies there is a large demand for highly skilled workers to fill positions that are very well paid. The needs of the company are not easily met; however, many well-educated immigrants find careers in these jobs. Many companies prefer to hire these immigrants based on the belief that the differences in ethnic backgrounds allow the companies to build on the diversity and grow more easily. The large …show more content…
There is little debate in the developed world that having people from different backgrounds can help strengthen a group as a whole. This is because people, by nature, have different strengths and weaknesses. These traits are often rooted in culture, shaped by the person’s upbringing, their life experiences, and the education they received. A diverse group can build off of these strengths and weaknesses by exploiting the strengths across the board to make up for the weaknesses. This effect is evident a small group as well as nationally. Immigrants bring these strengths with them to the U.S. As a matter of fact, it could easily be reasoned that the United States has become what is considered a world superpower in large part due to the strength provided by the diversity of its citizens. It is important that the U.S. continues to prioritize this diversity by allowing immigrants to make their home in the U.S. Optimistically, current immigration rates the U.S. project a population growth of nearly 93 million people in the next 35 years, the fifth highest in the world (Friedman, 2012). Immigrants make up a significant portion of this number. Ensuring their presence in the future of the country will allow America to further grow and