Americans Kiss Their Jobs Goodbye
Is Biden to blame for this? You be the judge.
The employment of foreign nationals in the United States has reached its highest level since the Labor Department began monitoring the data in 1996. This surge in foreign employment comes at a time when the job opportunities for native-born Americans have been declining, reflecting a trend observed during President Joe Biden’s administration.
According to data published in the Wall Street Journal, in 2022, foreign-born workers accounted for over 18 percent of the labor market, marking the highest level in nearly three decades. The number of foreign-born individuals employed in the United States has now surpassed 30 million.
Last year, the number of foreign-born individuals actively employed or seeking employment increased by 1.8 million, surpassing the 1.3 million native-born Americans who joined the workforce. This indicates a greater growth in the labor force participation of foreign-born workers compared to their native-born counterparts.
Elizabeth Crofoot, a senior economist at Lightcast, a labor-market data firm, stated to the Journal that “any substantial advancements we observe in the labor force are primarily driven by immigrants—they serve as a stabilizing force.” This remark highlights the significant contribution of immigrants in bolstering the labor market and its growth.
Over the course of four years, the Biden administration has demonstrated a commitment to expanding immigration to the United States through various channels, including legal immigration, addressing issues of illegal immigration, and implementing foreign visa worker programs. As a result, the foreign-born workforce has experienced a notable increase of five percent under this administration.
During the same period, the workforce participation of native-born Americans witnessed a decrease of 0.5 percent. Additionally, foreign-born workers exhibited a lower unemployment rate compared to native-born Americans in the previous year. Specifically, the unemployment rate for foreign-born workers stood at 3.4 percent, whereas native-born Americans had an unemployment rate of 3.7 percent. These statistics indicate a relatively better employment situation for foreign-born individuals in comparison to their native-born counterparts.
