Contrary To Popular Belief Immigrants Work More Than Natives

Not that this should be hugely a surprise if we give it a moment’s thought. But immigrants have a lower unemployment rate, a higher workforce participation rate, than do natives. That’s for the United States of course:

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The unemployment rate for foreign-born persons in the United States was 3.5 percent
in 2018, down from 4.1 percent in 2017, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported
today. The jobless rate of native-born persons was 4.0 percent in 2018, down from
4.4 percent in 2017.[/perfectpullquote]

It’s not hugely difficult to see why once we look at the details of the figures. Immigrants trend more male, they’re more likely to be of prime working age:

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The demographic composition of the foreign-born labor force differs from that
of the native-born labor force. In 2018, men accounted for 57.5 percent of the
foreign-born labor force, compared with 52.2 percent of the native-born labor
force. By age, the proportion of the foreign-born labor force made up of 25- to
54-year-olds (73.2 percent) was higher than for the native-born labor force
(62.0 percent). Labor force participation is typically highest among persons in
that age bracket.[/perfectpullquote]

Male labour force participation is higher than female.

There is one more point of course. If you’re an immigrant but not yet a citizen you don’t really gain access to any of the welfare state. It’s thus work or stave. Quite an incentive really.