Creating Jobs in America

December of 2007: A recession begins in the United States that is to last for the next two years. During this time of crisis, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) estimates that nearly 8.7 million Americans lost their jobs. Unemployment is at an all-time high and the economy has reached a sudden halt in growth. Immigration slows as well; the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reports that the number of immigrants entering the country increased by only five percent in 2008 and down to two percent in 2009. This number is meaningless to most Americans if not a positive sign, as many people are convinced that immigrants simply take the jobs that otherwise native citizens would be working, overpopulate the country, and overall weaken the economy. Contrary to this widespread misconception, immigrants, in fact, strengthen the economy through creating jobs in America both by the practice of entrepreneurship and their possessing of individual, unique skills, reducing the need for outsourcing, and adding diversity and furthermore relieving tension between the United States and other nations, while ultimately receiving an opportunity for a better life than they would have otherwise, something this country was initially built upon.

For starters, immigrants are simply more likely to start their own businesses. To put this into mathematical perspective, the Small Business Administration claims that immigrants are an astonishing thirty percent more likely to become entrepreneurs, and non-natives own nearly one-fifth of all of the small businesses throughout the country. One may ask, what does this have do with me? Well prior to the recession, the Fiscal Policy Institute listed these small bu...

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...s at lesser paying jobs, whereas only twenty-six percent beg to differ. Because many immigrants typically come to America with next to nothing, they are obviously going to be more likely to work for lower wages. This is, also, why it is so beneficial for foreigners to start small businesses. Because they are willing to work harder for less money, this reduces the need for outsourcing. Sourcing Line Computer Economics shows that roughly 2.3 million jobs were outsourced in America in 2012. If immigrants were to replace these positions, shipping costs would decrease significantly. The value of the American dollar would be better protected. The need for communication between other countries in the making of products would no longer be needed. And most importantly, the quality of products would likely increase. Together, this makes for a tempting package.