About this episode
One in five workers in the United States was born in another country. Without them, the country’s prime-age workforce would be shrinking, and thus so would our economy. So the calumny (Terms & Conditions) directed at immigrants is at odds with the basic fact that the U.S. needs them. What about depressing wages? Economist Kathryn Edwards says that research shows such a mixed bag of results that the overall effect is about zero. Indeed, if the goal is to save “American jobs” or help American workers, there are a lot more effective ways to spend $185 billion than on a massive crackdown on immigration rules. Support us by becoming a paid Substack subscriber here , or by making a contribution at https://buymeacoffee.com/optimisteconomy Complete show notes with links to articles and data at optimisteconomy.com . You can also find Optimist Economy on: TikTok YouTube Instagram