Like so many things, discussions concerning issues like immigration can be impassioned. Millions of people living in the state of Florida and across the country have deeply rooted personal beliefs about immigration, and identify with various political views on the subject. As a result, it can be challenging to divorce emotions from dialogues concerning topics like immigration reform and undocumented workers. That is why professional studies and statistics can be especially helpful in providing an unbiased view of how America is affected by employment immigration in its many capacities.
Recent efforts by the Martin Prosperity Institute looked at figures provided by the U.S. Census to investigate the correlation, if any, between immigrant populations and factors like income levels in big cities. This area of inquiry may be particularly relevant to the debate over immigration because there is a common assumption that American jobs are lost to immigrants in many cases, affecting wages for everyone.
The three major types of workers reviewed were undocumented and documented immigrants without a college education, those with higher learning and those with degrees in science or engineering. There was evidence that all three groups maintained higher populations in larger metropolitan cities. Similarly, these cities were generally linked to having more high-tech jobs and businesses, higher income levels, and better wages.
The connection between having an immigrant workforce and improved economic conditions seems to be a positive one. Without misinterpreting correlation for causation, a strong case can be made for promoting immigration as a way to revitalize the American economy and drive industry in major cities.
Source: theatlanticcities.com, “Immigrants Boost the Wages, Income and Economic Output of Cities,” Richard Florida, April 25, 2013