Thread: Immigrant maids can boost worker wages

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Immigrant maids can boost worker wages: U.S. study
By Luis Andres Henao
Oct 11, 2006, 19:00 GMT



BOSTON - Employing immigrant household workers as nannies and maids can boost the economy and lead to higher wages for American workers, a study by Harvard University economists says.

'These types of immigrants bring a lot of benefits to the economy and especially low-skilled workers, which is opposite to what has been traditionally believed,' says Michael Kremer, a Harvard economics professor and co-author of the study.

U.S. politicians have been hotly debating the fate of illegal workers ahead of November elections. The study, released last month, says immigrant household workers free up time for highly-skilled native women to join the labor market.

The study is based on an analysis of the labor markets in Singapore and Hong Kong, which have programs that allow foreign workers as domestic servants, and projects the experience would be similar in the United States.

The study found that in Hong Kong and Singapore, where private household workers make up about 7 percent of the labor force, immigrants raise the income of native low-skilled workers by 3.9 percent and push overall native income up 1.2 percent.

For years, many scholars such as Harvard immigration economist George Borjas have argued that low-skilled immigrant workers bring little profit to the economy while leading to lower wages for native workers.

Their contributions can raise national income and increase revenues from taxes, the study said. Employing immigrant household workers could also reduce the wage gap between high-skilled and low-skilled workers and even help reduce differences in pay among genders, it added.

In the United States, a bill in the Senate for a temporary worker program that could legalize millions of illegal immigrants has stalled as congressional leaders focus instead on border security ahead of November elections.

Globally, the number of women who cross borders to work as private household workers is rising.

ASIAN DOMESTIC WORKERS

Human rights groups are highly critical of Asian programs for domestic workers. They say women working as domestic servants in Singapore and Hong Kong are often overworked and physically exploited, and that laws to protect them are weak.

But the work is often lucrative for the workers and their families. In the Philippines, which supplies much of Asia with its maids, money sent home by millions of Filipinos working abroad hit a record high of $10.7 billion last year -- about 10 percent of the nation's entire economy.

The United States may not be ready to replicate the Asian model but could benefit in future from similar programs, Kremer said. 'Hong Kong and Singapore have programs where this happens legally. In the U.S. it's under the table. If it's happening legally or illegally you might want to have it regulated.'

Many immigrant workers say their work allows native workers to pursue careers.

'I don't feel like I'm a burden for this country,' says Marta Perez, a 20-year-old illegal worker from Colombia, who takes care of a 3-year old while his mother works as a broker in Boston. 'If I wasn't there, she wouldn't be able to work at all.'

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Why would someone want a non English speaking nanny?
If they clean as well as they clean the halls, stairwells and elevators as they do in my condo I could see why you would be paying an American more to do the job. Even with nannies, if they are the same way with those children as they are with their own then you will have kids that are constantly yelling and screaming. I have numerous Hispanic kids in my condo complex and they scream as if someone is killing them. It doesn't matter if they are legal or not. I have to put up with this every weekend and in the summer when they are out of school until the little old Jewish ladies get fed up and yell at them to go inside or they will call the police. Also how can they teach children manners when many of them are rude.

What kind of mother leaves her 3 year old with an illegal alien and how do these mothers get hooked up with illegal aliens?

Sawdust; you wouldn't have any idea who some mothers leave their kids with. I have seen babies that were left with the mother's boyfriend and the child ends up being shaken, beaten or even killed, or mom decides to go party and leaves the baby with friends for days. The worse I have seen is babies left alone.
As for getting illegals for maids or nannies, it is not hard to do as there are all kinds of agencies for that. Then there is word of mouth.
One interesting thing about illegals and babies. Many of their babies die because they don't have cribs and the baby sleeps on the bed with them. I read about it in the crime scene department logs and actually asked them about it.

'I don't feel like I'm a burden for this country,' says Marta Perez, a 20-year-old illegal worker from Colombia, who takes care of a 3-year old while his mother works as a broker in Boston. 'If I wasn't there, she wouldn't be able to work at all.'

Tell that to the millions of single working mothers in this country that can't afford a live in nanny. Practically every city and town in the country has one or more day care centers. Heck, some business even provide help with day care for employee children and other provide centers at the actual place of employment. For the poor there are governmental programs that pay most or all day care expenses. Trust me, the lady could find proper care for her child should she so desire.

Pleeeeeeeese, we weren't born yesterday! Has everyone noticed that most of these illegal immigrant arguments make very little logical sense? Just a lot of smoke and mirrors with no actual evidence to substantiate their claim.

Translation...........We rich people need maids and nannies so we can go out and make more money while our children are raised by questionable people. This is almost as disgusting as Lindsay Graham's comment about the golf course greens. Just WHY do you have to have an ILLEGAL alien maid or housekeeper??? I'm sure there are LOTS of legal people who would like that job. Oh, but you would have to treat them decent and pay them a good salary. An illegal is your slave![/quote]

Quote:
'I don't feel like I'm a burden for this country,' says Marta Perez, a 20-year-old illegal worker from Colombia, who takes care of a 3-year old while his mother works as a broker in Boston. 'If I wasn't there, she wouldn't be able to work at all.'

CRACK DOWN ON EMPLOYERS!!!!! HEAVILY FINE THE FIRST TIME...THROW EM' IN PRISON FOR THE SECOND OFFENSE...NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!!!!!!!

I was a single mother...I made less than $10 per hour. The most I ever received for child support was $300 per month. When my kids visited their dad in the summer, he didn't send child support, but I still had my bills. Now...if you want a nanny...that you are well able to afford........HIRE AN AMERICAN!!!!!!!

If the rich want to hire a maid or nanny, they should get an American one if they want a foreign nanny then go through the agencies where they can get one with a work visa. There was an illegal nanny from Peru who was abducted, raped and murder last year in Palm Beach County. When they spoke to the family she worked for they told reporters that she was waiting for her immigration papers. Yeah right!