Over a million immigrants land U.S. jobs in 2008-10

[The Straight Story]

Over a million immigrants land U.S. jobs in 2008-10

Over the past two years, as U.S. unemployment remained near double-digit levels and the economy shed jobs in the wake of the financial crisis, over a million foreign-born arrivals to America found work, many illegally.

Those are among the findings of a review of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census Bureau data conducted exclusively for Reuters by researchers at the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University in Boston.

Often young and unskilled or semi-skilled, immigrants have taken jobs Americans could do in areas like construction, willing to work for less wages. Others land jobs that unemployed Americans turn up their noses at or lack the skills to do.

With a national unemployment rate of 9.4 percent, domestic job creation is at the top of President Barack Obama's agenda and such findings could add to calls to tighten up on illegal immigration. But much of it is Hispanic and the growing Latino vote is a key base for Obama's Democratic Party.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70J37P20110120

[Hello_Kitty]

Immigration needs to be addressed but so does high unemployment among low skilled Americans.

Also wage theft and rampant labor violations against immigrant and native born workers alike. This issue is polarizing the country while wealthy business owners laugh all the way to the bank.

[lumberjack_jeff]

19. What do you mean "but"?

Unless "address" means "promote", fixing immigration increases the demand for low skilled american workers. Win-win.

[Hello_Kitty]

21. I'm talking about the ones already here.

Rounding up millions of people and sending them back is not really feasible.

[lumberjack_jeff]

24. Perpetual unemployment for the workers they displaced isn't really feasible either. n/t

[wtbymark]

1. You want to stop it?

Start fining employERS $500,000 per man. It would end tomorrow.

[Hello_Kitty]

9. True that. Of course there are so called progressives who get the vapors at the thought of that.

They've bought the business community's propaganda.

[HereSince1628]

2. My nose is turned up at that report's fairness and balance.

Be 57 unemployed with a PhD and try to get one of those fucking jobs in construction or in the produce section of your neighborhood grocer.

[Hello_Kitty]

5. When young healthy kids show up for those jobs they are turned away.

The employers don't want the American "attitude" as one of them had the contractor to come right out and admit to me. One young man I know applied at a car wash where they listed help wanted and the manager took one look at him and said "we're not hiring". It's not that the immigrants are taking the jobs away from Americans. The jobs simply aren't being offered to Americans.

[HereSince1628]

6. I didn't mean to be ageist. I suppose I was...

[Hello_Kitty]

8. Oh no worries. I didn't think you were being ageist.

I was just pointing out that they don't want the younguns either.

[madrchsod]

11. do`t apologize because you can`t find a job because of your age

[JVS]

15. "attitude" or wage demands?

[Hello_Kitty]

16. Most unemployed people are willing to work for whatever is posted.

In the case of the car wash they said they started at $8 an hour. The young man had called the community referral line I was volunteering at and our office looked into it. The manager must have been worried about his "attitude".

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. Time to give them amnesty and make them citizens so they can join unions and demand higher wages.

Which would force the bosses to increase wages and "level the playing field" in the workers favor.

[Romulox]

4. Nope. Those new citizens would be just as easy to undercut with cheap immigrant labor

as the old citizens were. :hi:

[Hello_Kitty]

7. Not in Right To Work states.

I do think there needs to be an amnesty so the workers don't have to live in constant fear of arrest and deportation but the belief that working conditions will magically improve with legalization is false. The guest worker programs we currently have in agriculture and other service industries are a nightmare of exploitation and labor violations. We need another Edward R. Murrow to do a "Harvest of Shame". Instead we get Stephen Colbert yukking it up in Congress, taking gratuituous swipes at poor Americans while carrying Big Ag's water.

[Statistical]

10. The issue is more complex than that.

So you make the 10 million or so persons currently here illegal, newly legal citizens. Ok that is fine. Now that isn't going to stop the 1 million people illegally enter the country (if anything it might encourage more). Given the newly arrived immigrants are here illegally they will still accept wages and conditions worse than legal residents (including the 10 million persons amnesty just made legal). Essentially you just but the current illegal immigrants in the same boat as legal residents but they will still face the same problem.

10 years from now you have the 10 mlllion more legal citizens AND 10 million more illegal residents.
So what is the solution then? Give another 10 million amnesty? Ok still haven't solve the problem.

The reality is people here without authorization will always be willing to work for less and under worse conditions than those who have due process rights. Amnesty isn't going to change that because that isn't going to stop people from trying to come here.


Unless there is some mechanism to stop/slow the sheer number of persons entering the country illegaly amnesty is no solution. Of course we *COULD* make it punitive for employers to hire persons who are here illegally. No potential for work = no incentive to come here illegally. Once you do that amnesty and a path to citizenship makes sense. Of course business doesn't want that. They like the status quo.

[wtbymark]

12. If they can't get a job, they won't come here

put the fear of certain bankruptsy in their HR office. $500,000 per man found to be working illegally. What farm owner is going to risk his entire crop for 1 man?What casino owner is going to risk an entire quater's profit on 1 man. Make it hurt so bad that 1 violation spells the end of the business for that employer. One and done. They won't come anymore. No a chance at a job, they won't come.

[Statistical]

14. I agree.

However like I said business likes the status quo. They like large pool of low cost labor with no access to due process.

We could stop illegal immigration (or cut it by 90%) overnight but we don't. We don't because big money likes things exactly as they are.

[defendandprotect]

18. Agree -- the job is the MAGNET, wealthy enrich themselves and we have to STOP it ...

No other nation permits this == we need instant Social Security checks!

If you can't prove immediately you are a citdizen -- no job.

And every employee would have to immediately be verified in this way.

This is just more capitalist corruption and crime --

no big deal -- !! Same as ever!!

[pampango]

13. Organized labor and the Progressive Caucus agree with you. It has to be comprehensive.

Just providing a path to citizenship for the 11 million who are here illegally doesn't stop the inflow. And just stopping the inflow doesn't do anything to change the status of those already here who "willing to work for less and under worse conditions than those who have due process rights".

[Hello_Kitty]

22. Why are you putting the last part in quotes?

Do you think we're making it up?

[lumberjack_jeff]

20. Unionization works because it constrains the supply of labor.

With an infinitely large pool of labor, unionization is hopeless and pointless.

[defendandprotect]

17. Of course -- this is purposeful -- and the way wealthy destroy unions and wages ...

and has been going on for decades --

[nc4bo]

23. Huge TARP project involving Fort Bragg and dozens of big housing developments

in surrounding counties and with the exception of the big bossmen and supervisors, nearly 100% south of the border work forces. Of course during the growing season, it's the farms too.

No bullshit, I can post photos to prove I'm not guilty of the dreaded hyperbole.

Locals have a tough time getting labor jobs here.

I don't know what anyone can do at this point.