Are immigrants a big threat to the employment of Americans, or do they nourish the American economy?

It has always been a burning issue in the US that immigrants are taking away the jobs of Americans. However, there has always been a heated debate on this, and experts have been giving different opinions in favor of and against this issue. Between whiles, it is seen that a situation of conflict also arises between Americans and immigrants over this issue. This topic has now become an important and burning social and political issue.

Immigrant rights organizations and NGOs often argue that immigrants are not only taking away jobs, but are also increasing the demand by coming to America, and they are helping to boost the workforce and increase productivity. But these arguments do not reduce the concerns of Americans about their employment and financial interests. Because Americans find illegal immigrants a bigger problem than legal immigrants.

In this article, we will try to understand through the analysis of some statistics how serious the issue of employment in America is and how immigrants affect it.

Participation of immigrants in the total workforce.

According to the Pew Research Center, a total of 29 million immigrants were living in the US in 2022. About 30% of these were illegal immigrants. In 2022 itself, about 99% of immigrants were engaged in some employment. In 2024, this number increased by 14% to 32 million. During this time, the workforce participation of most Americans was 134.68 million in 2022, which increased by a very marginal amount to 135.1 million in 2024. Thus, it can be understood that the participation of immigrants in the total workforce of America is increasing rapidly.

According to USA Facts, in 2017, the participation of immigrants among all employed workers was 17.9%. In June 2024, this percentage increased to 19%. Even after this, it has continued to increase continuously. According to this data, one in every five jobs is held by an immigrant. This figure will increase to 30% in 2025.

Unemployment situation among  Americans.

It is also worth noting here that the unemployment figures in the US have been rising steadily since 2022. The unemployment rate rose to 3.5% in 2022, 3.7% in 2023, and 4.11% in 2024. This growth rate can be called modest, but it is constantly increasing. In 2024, about 5.5 million American youth will be unemployed, and more than 30 million jobs will be taken over by immigrants.

Immigrants are devaluing human labor in America.

It is also believed by the Americans that immigrants are available at a very cheap rate. Due to this, the value of human labor is decreasing. And due to low wages, immigrants become the first choice of the industrial world.

However, this has been denied. And there is no clear data available for this. But the only reason why American companies get work done from other countries on the basis of outsourcing is that they get skilled human labor in other countries at a lower rate than in America.

In Asian countries like India and China, the rate of unemployment is very high due to a large population. And skilled workers with intellectual capacity are also available here. India has always been the first choice of American companies for outsourcing. This fact also works with the immigrants living in America, and they are ready to work at a cheaper rate than Americans.

Illegal migrants are extremely cheap human labor.

Every year, millions of illegal immigrants enter the USA illegally. In 2025, there are a total of 15 to 16 million illegal immigrants in the USA, which is 29% of the total number of foreigners. Most of them are brought by an illegal human labor agency. Because they have already been contracted with the employer. Since these illegal immigrants do not have any valid documents, they mostly live in hiding. Therefore, they are ready to work even at very cheap wages. These include unskilled, skilled laborers, and highly educated professionals. Often, these immigrants are the first choice of employers.

Are immigrants a vital element of the US economy?

If we look at the figures of 2024, if immigrant manpower is excluded, then a total of 32 million jobs will become vacant at once. The workforce in the American system will decrease by 20% in one go. Whereas the total number of unemployed American youth is 5.5 million, which is only 15.6% of the total workforce, due to the departure of immigrants. So we can understand that only 85% of the workforce required for the American system can be met by Americans. If there is no role for immigrants, then 25 million jobs will remain vacant in America, which will take the American productivity and economy in a negative direction.