The Importance of Immigrant Labor to the US Economy

Kevin Appleby, CMS, Sept. 2, 2024

"As US citizens and residents celebrate Labor Day, it is important to recognize the contributions immigrants—both legal and undocumented—make to the national economy. Legal immigrants work in a variety of occupations, from skilled scientists and engineers to health-care and home care workers. Over eight million undocumented immigrants also provide important labor to our economy in many fields, such as agriculture, construction, and service. Despite calls to deport all undocumented persons in our nation, such an operation would cause a severe strain on US citizens, as labor shortages would accrue and inflation would rise. Moreover, federal, state, and local budgets would be reduced, as taxes paid by undocumented workers would be lost, including their contributions to the Social Security and Medicare systems. The following offers a profile of immigrant laborers in the US economy and measures their economic and fiscal contributions to the United States. It also argues that legalizing the undocumented workforce, instead of deporting them, and creating legal avenues for immigrant workers would serve the best interest of the United States and the US citizenry."