American employers ‘prefer immigrants’

A new report reveals that American employers prefer to hire immigrants for low-paid jobs rather than American-born workers.

The study, which is published in the winter issue of American Affairs Journal, found that many employers believe that immigrants work harder and complain less than their native counterparts.

“Immigrants are judged to have a better work ethic and to work harder,” the report notes. “They are more diligent, punctual, persistent, reliable, respectful and cooperative. They will work long hours without flagging and are willing to operate in physically demanding, uncomfortable, or dangerous conditions and to perform boring and repetitive tasks. Immigrants are helpful and loyal to their employers. They have fewer complaints about working conditions and act less ‘entitled.”

The results were devised by examining five decades of labour statistics and interviewing anonymous American employers.

However, the report’s authors – University of Pennsylvania Law school professor Amy L Wax and conservative public policy analyst Jason Richwine – believe that a willingness to work for lower wages may be the real reason that immigrants are favoured.

The report claims that Hispanic and Asian immigrants are favoured over any other ethnic group.

“When that preference is acknowledged, which is rarely, the explanation offered is that immigrants are willing to accept lower wages and thus cost less than natives, or that they will hesitate to demand fair or safe working conditions or to sue their employer for perceived abuses,” the pair wrote in their report. “For a host of unskilled and entry-level positions, recent immigrants, especially Hispanics, are considered more desirable. They are eagerly sought after and preferentially hired because they are regarded as better workers.”

To combat this issue, and to offer more employment opportunities for low-skilled Americans, the report’s authors believe that the United States should adopt a merit-based immigration system, similar to that used in countries like Australia and Canada.

President Trump has long been an advocate of a merit-based immigration system for America, supporting the so-called RAISE Act. The RAISE Act would scrap the current system for a points test, which considers age, English language skills, education and high-paying job offers. The fiscal year limit for immigrants would be set at 50,000.

Article published 28th November 2017