immigrants, education and u.s. economic competitiveness
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Immigrants, Education and U.S. Economic Competitiveness. Audrey Singer The Brookings Institution University of Nevada Las Vegas October 26, 2011. U.S. Immigration: Current policy debates. Agreement that immigration policy should change, but little agreement on how Broad reform viewpoint - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Immigrants, Education and U.S. Economic Competitiveness
Audrey SingerThe Brookings Institution
University of Nevada Las VegasOctober 26, 2011
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U.S. Immigration: Current policy debates
Agreement that immigration policy should change, but little agreement on how
• Broad reform viewpoint• Specific reform viewpoint
– Enforcement focused– High-skill focused
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U.S. Immigration: Current policy debates
How many immigrants should we admit?
Which kind should we prioritize?
How do we modify immigration policy to better meet national and local economic needs?
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U.S. Immigration: New settlement patterns, new policy responses, new contexts for integration
• Economic restructuring, geographic component (metros + suburbs)
• Rise of new immigrant gateways• Proliferation of laws• Significance of suburban settlement
Educational attainment of U.S. immigrants
The big picture:
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Immigrant contributions to the labor force
• Immigrants are 12.5 percent of the population but 16 percent of the labor force
• Immigrants have slightly higher rates of labor force participation but have the same unemployment rates as natives
• Immigrant workers are over represented in both low- and high-skilled industries: agriculture, construction, hospitality and IT, life sciences and healthcare
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Immigrant Skill Definitions:Education levels for all immigrants ages
25+
High-Skilled
• Immigrants with a bachelor’s degree or more
Low-Skilled
• Immigrants lacking a high school diploma
Middle-
Skilled
• Immigrants with a high school diploma and may have some college
All Immigrants
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The share of working age immigrants with a bachelor’s degree exceeds the share without a high school diploma
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
20
25
30
35
40
45
Low-Skilled
Mid-Skilled
High-Skilled
Note: Author s'analysis of weighted 1994-2010 Current Population Surveys
Per
cent
of w
orki
ng a
ge im
mig
rant
s
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Similar shifts in skills are evident among the working age US-born, although those without a high school diploma is a much smaller share
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Low-Skilled
Mid-Skilled
High-Skilled
Note: Authors' analysis of weighted 1994-2010 Current Population Surveys
Per
cent
of w
orki
ng a
ge n
ativ
es
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In 1980, there were twice as many low-skilled as high-skilled immigrants, but by 2010, they had converged
Low-Skilled Mid-Skilled High-Skilled1980 39.5 41.5 19.0
Low-Skilled Mid-Skilled High-Skilled1980 39.5 41.5 19.0
1990 36.8 40.7 22.5
Low-Skilled Mid-Skilled High-Skilled1980 39.5 41.5 19.01990 36.8 40.7 22.5
2000 30.4 42.7 26.9
Low-Skilled Mid-Skilled High-Skilled1980 39.5 41.5 19.01990 36.8 40.7 22.52000 30.4 42.7 26.9
2010 27.8 42.6 29.6
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What accounts for the rise in the skill level of the foreign-born in the US?
• Rising demand for high-skilled workers in an increasingly knowledge-based economy
• Policy changes which have augmented the supply of skilled immigrants- such as H-1B visas which require a BA
• Increase in the number of international students
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Metropolitan Area Skill Definitions: Ratio of high-skilled to low-skilled
immigrants
High-Skill Destinations
Balanced Destinations
Low-Skill Destinations
More than 125 high-skilled immigrants for every 100 low-skilled immigrants
75 to 125 high-skilled immigrants for every 100 low-skilled immigrants
Less than 75 high-skilled immigrants for every 100 low-skilled immigrants
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Recent immigrants to metro areas with the fastest-growing immigrant populations have markedly lower educational attainment than immigrants settling elsewhere
Skill levels within metropolitan gateway types
Why place matters:
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The Geography of Immigrant Skills
Skill ratio
Immigrant Skill Ratio, 100 Largest Metropolitan Areas, 2009
Source: Brookings Institution analysis of 2009 ACS data
Former
Median skill ratio: 166
Former industrial centers with low demand for immigrant workers, especially low- skilled
Providence is the only metro area that is low-skilled
Immigrants’ skill levels vary by metropolitan area due to historical settlement patterns and economic structures
Immigrants’ skill levels vary by metropolitan area due to historical settlement patterns and economic structures
Major- Continuous
Median skill ratio: 129
Areas with long history of immigrant settlement and diverse populations
Technology and finance centers
Minor-Continuous
Median skill ratio: 51
Long history of Mexican settlement in Western metros
Contrast between the low-skilled metros in the south/west and the high-skilled suburban Boston/New York metros
Immigrants’ skill levels vary by metropolitan area due to historical settlement patterns and economic structures
Post-WWIIMedian skill ratio: 62
More than half are in Border states
CA and TX metros have large populations of illegal immigrants
Washington has a skill ratio of 189 due to the concentration of government jobs
Immigrants’ skill levels vary by metropolitan area due to historical settlement patterns and economic structures
EmergingMedian skill ratio: 73
Fast-growing areas create construction jobs, etc.
Overall fairly low-skilled, however Atlanta and Orlando are balanced metros
Immigrants’ skill levels vary by metropolitan area due to historical settlement patterns and economic structures
Re-Emerging
Median skill ratio: 125
Places where immigration levels have increased in recent years after slowing during the 20th century
Refugee resettlement
Denver is the only low-skilled metro area
Immigrants’ skill levels vary by metropolitan area due to historical settlement patterns and economic structures
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Pre-Emerging
Median skill ratio: 82
Fast-growing immigrant populations
Three pre-emerging metro areas in North Carolina- each a different skill type
Immigrants’ skill levels vary by metropolitan area due to historical settlement patterns and economic structures
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Low immigration
metros
Median skill ratio: 127
Metro areas that have never had high levels of immigration
Immigrants’ skill levels vary by metropolitan area due to historical settlement patterns and economic structures
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Key characteristics of low-skilled and high-skilled immigrants differ by
gateway type• Low-skilled more likely to be from Mexico and have lower English proficiency
• High-skilled more likely to be naturalized U.S. citizens
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Low-skilled immigrant workerscomparisons with US-born
• More likely to be employed (67% vs 49%) but income is lower
• Immigrants earn about $5,000 less annually
• Poverty rates are lower (23% vs 31%)
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High-skilled immigrant workerscomparisons with US-born
• Somewhat less likely to be employed and income is lower
• Immigrants earn about $8,150 less annually
• Poverty rates are low for both groups (6% vs 3%)
How to reshape national immigration policy?
The big question:
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