Immigration
Immigrants represent 13 percent of the U.S. population and produce nearly 15 percent of our economic output.
America’s construction, agriculture, and hospitality sectors depend on low-skilled immigrant labor (particularly for seasonal jobs), while our tech, engineering, and education depend on high-skilled immigrants. Today, immigrants are driving workforce growth (critical to economic growth, as well as entitlement programs like Social Security) and new job creation.
The bad news? Most of our laws governing immigration (including temporary visas) are more than 30 years old. Compared with our competitors, the U.S. grants few visas based on an immigrant’s potential contribution to our economy.