Employment and Wages

The U.S. immigration system is complex and can be difficult to understand. These resources provide key data points, historical information, and background on hot topics in immigration. Learn the basics about immigration.

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Immigrant Workers Enhance and Expand the U.S. Economy

Over the years, more and more economists have come to the conclusion that immigrant workers “complement” the native-born majority of the labor force by bringing different sets of skills and different demographic profiles with them, both of which enhance and expand the economy as a whole.

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  • Research and Analysis

Immigrants, Skills, and Wages: Measuring the Economic Gains from Immigration

Publication Date: 
March 1, 2006
Foreign-born workers do not substitute perfectly for, and therefore do not compete with, most native-born workers. Rather, the complementary nature of the skills, occupations, and abilities of...
  • Fact Sheet

The Economics of Necessity: Economic Report of the President Underscores Importance of Immigration

Publication Date: 
May 1, 2005
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.
  • Research and Analysis

Essential Workers: Immigrants are a Needed Supplement to the Native-Born Labor Force

Publication Date: 
March 1, 2005
An analysis of data from the 2000 census reveals that employment in about one-third of all U.S. job categories would have contracted during the 1990s in the absence of recently arrived, noncitizen...
  • Research and Analysis

Maintaining A Competitive Edge: Foreign-Born and US Immigration Policies in Science and Engineering

Publication Date: 
August 1, 2004
Foreign-born scientists and engineers (S&Es) have long played a prominent role in U.S. technological and scientific advancement and are a critical part of the science and engineering (S&E)...
  • Research and Analysis

Relinquishing Excellence: Closing the Door to Foreign Professionals Undermines the U.S. Economy

Publication Date: 
May 1, 2004
According to a recent National Science Board report, restrictive U.S. visa policies are beginning to close the door to highly skilled foreign professionals who have long helped maintain U.S...
  • Special Report

Health Worker Shortages & the Potential of Immigration Policy

Publication Date: 
February 1, 2004
Foreign-born and foreign-trained professionals play an important role in the delivery of health care in the United States. This report examines the important role of immigrant doctors and nurses –...
  • Research and Analysis

Foreign Students on Campus: An Asset to Our Nation

Publication Date: 
February 1, 2003
Americans are rightfully proud of our nation's higher education system. Scholars come to the U.S. from all over the world and we have historically educated many of the world's leaders. But the...
  • Fact Sheet

Mexican Immigrant Workers and the U.S. Economy: An Increasingly Vital Role

Publication Date: 
September 1, 2002
America's current immigration policies are antiquated and fail to recognize the importance of Mexican workers to the national economy. U.S. immigration law must provide ways for Mexican workers to...
  • Fact Sheet

The Value of Undocumented Workers: The Numbers Behind the U.S. - Mexico Immigration Debate

Publication Date: 
April 1, 2002
A study by the Pew Hispanic Center suggests that new immigration initiatives must find a balance between controlling labor flows and homeland security. The report shows immigrant workers provide most...
  • Research and Analysis

The Global Battle for Talent and People

America’s strength lies in its openness and dynamic character. Current concerns about the U.S. economy should not distract from an understanding that in the long term America’s economic success...

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