Thread: Study: Immigrants boost native-born pay

Study: Immigrants boost native-born pay

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

In a surprising new study with national implications, a University of California economist found that immigration boosted the average wages of the native-born workers in California by at least 4 percent between 1990 and 2004.

The boost in wages due to immigrants' impact on the workplace is across the board, but higher for those with at least a high school diploma, according to the detailed analysis of 44 years of U.S. Census data on immigration and the workplace.

Native-born high school dropouts, who are assumed to have lost ground to immigrants in the workplace, have not suffered any wage losses as a group because of immigration, according to the study, which was produced by the University of California-Davis associate professor Giovanni Peri for the Public Policy Institute of California in San Francisco.

"In fact, there has been a small uptick in their wages," Peri said of native-born high school dropouts, who account for about 8 percent of the state's native-born workers.

The gain in real wages for that group is less than 1 percent, Peri said, only 0.2 percent, "which is not much, but certainly not a negative."

"These results," Peri wrote in the report, "should certainly be taken into account by policymakers as they consider immigration reform. The findings would seem to defuse one of the most inflammatory issues for those who advocate measures aimed at 'protecting the livelihood of American citizens.' "

The Public Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, will take the findings to Washington, D.C., next month for a briefing on Capitol Hill.

Peri's study used hard data from the Census and the Census' 2004 American Community Survey. He looked at how wages of native and immigrant workers varied over time as their numbers changed.

He divided groups by age, education, and other characteristics and then found that groups with increased numbers of foreign workers also showed increased wages of native workers.

Peri said he calculated the positive impact of California's immigrant influx on wages by separating it from other phenomena, including business cycles and technological changes.

Steven Camarota, research director at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Immigration Studies, which favors letting fewer legal immigrants in, challenged Peri's focus on California and his methods.

He read a synopsis of the report and said it started with assumptions rather than proof that immigrants' labor complements the labor of natives.

Immigrant workers' numbers have risen steadily since 1960. Today, the foreign-born make up 14 percent of the U.S. workforce and 33 percent of California's.

Hans Johnson, a demographer with the Public Policy Institute of California, said that Peri "really pushed the envelope" with his research.

Any gains are quickly soaked up and siphened off from taxes, encarcerations, hospital closings increase in social services ect...

Who are they trying to kid, we're in the red on immigration!!!!!!!

WOW A WHOLE WHOPPING 4% INCREASE IN WAGES OVER 15 YEARS? DAMN WHAT WERE US SILLY ANTI-ILLEGAL ACTIVISTS THINKING?!?! WE WERE SO WRONG! ILLEGALS DO HELP TO OUR SOCIETY!



By my math, that only gives a .6% increase over 15 years. Hell that doesn't even cover the cost of the price of gas to get work!

Here's a little cartoon to the folks who did this "study".

In a surprising new study with national implications, a University of California economist found that immigration boosted the average wages of the native-born workers in California by at least 4 percent between 1990 and 2004.

Nope I'm not surprised. I've been expecting some OBL flunky to step up and counter what we all know. When labor is scarce wages rise. The people running a slave crew of illegal aliens are likely making out at our expense. Baloney!

Balderdash! Imagine what the wage gains would have been without the negative impact of cheap labor. We already know that meat packing wages are what they were in the 80's. These people are really stretching.

Originally Posted by gofer

Balderdash! Imagine what the wage gains would have been without the negative impact of cheap labor. We already know that meat packing wages are what they were in the 80's. These people are really stretching.

Gofer, and construction wages certainly aren't what they used to be either.

My guess is that many employers would rather hire American born workers and might be willing to pay more for them. They speak and pronounce the English language better, integrate with staff better, have attended American schools longer, have more sports and outside activities experience, represent our companies with an "American face" better, and many more reasons I didn't even mention.

This is a GOOD SIGN that WE aren't out of the ball game yet.

"Immigrants increase native-born workers' pay" is BS and that was proven in the Georgia city where the illegals were run out about 3 months ago.

As soon as the illegals left, native born Americans took jobs at the chicken processing plant and the plant management admitted they had to increase wages to get these workers.

All the open borders crowd can do is lie because THEY KNOW the facts are NOT on their side.

"These results," Peri wrote in the report, "should certainly be taken into account by policymakers as they consider immigration reform. The findings would seem to defuse one of the most inflammatory issues for those who advocate measures aimed at 'protecting the livelihood of American citizens.' "

You just compile and publish the study pal, leave the interpretation up to the reader (eg. alternate interpretations are certainly possible, and maybe even more probable)

The Public Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, will take the findings to Washington, D.C., next month for a briefing on Capitol Hill.

Sounds like just a bit more lobbying than might be expected from a nonpartisan group. I wonder what their agenda is in this? I guess we could 'follow the money' and find who funded this little research 'project', eh?