Immigrants joining NJ workforce faster than native-born

Foreign workers account for 30% of labor poll

By: Daniel Munoz
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... Immigrant workers participate in New Jersey's labor force at a higher rate than native-born workers, according to a new report from Stockton University.
..... The labor participation rate among foreign-born workers was 69.9% compared to the 64.7% by native-born workers in New Jersey, says the study from the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University in Galloway township near Atlantic City.
..... In New Jersey, foreign workers account for 30% of the New Jersey workforce, compared to 18.1% of the national workforce, the study states.
..... "Contrary to the negative perceptions around immigrations and its impact on the economy, cutlass labor market trends suggest it;s a boon," said one of the stud's authors, Stockton economist Ramya Devan.
..... "The data shows that immigrant workers are vital to the New Jersey workforce."
..... According to the Federal reserve Bank of St. Louis, the labor participation rate is the "percentage of the population that is either working or actively looking of work."
..... In April, [2024] a separate report said that every thousand immigrants entering the New Jersey labor market earn a combined $21 million in wages in the first year and pay $1.8 million in state and local taxes.
..... And in five years, that same group of people will likely earn a combined $33 million in wages and contribute $2.9 million in state and local taxes.
..... That report was prepared jointly by New Jersey Policy Perspective, a progressive think tank, and the New York City-based Immigration Research Initiative, a nonpartisan think tank.
..... Both studies come as immigration more broadly becomes a hot-button issue going into the 2024 presidential election.
..... Former President Donald Trump, a Republican, and President Joe Biden, a Democrat, visited the southern border with Mexico over the winter to tout their immigration agendas.
..... Trump, for example, claimed that many migrants are dangerous and "coming form prisons," despite research that shows the contrary to be true.
..... Earlier this month, [06/2024] Biden signed an executive order that will cap entry and prevent migrants form seeking asylum if they cross int the U.S. illegally - a move that sparked intense backlash from immigrant rights organizations, including several across New Jersey.
..... The move "effectively closes the border to thousands of immigrant families seeking asylum," said Raquel Morsy, a member of the progressive activist group Make a Road New Jersey.
..... "Most Americans support a fair and legal asylum system that does not penalize vulnerable families seeking protection at our southern border," Morsey said.

Stockton's study by the numbers

..... The Stockton study found that a large portion of foreign-born workers were software developing, especially in Hudson, Hunterdon and Middlesex counties. Software development was the second-most common occupation in Bergen and Somerset counties among immigrant workers, the study stated.
.... In those five counties, there were about 35,000 foreign-born software developers. Additionally, across New Jersey, there were more than 26,000 foreign-born nurses and nursing assistants, according to the study

County breakdown

.... foreign-born workers made up double-digit percentage of the workforce across New Jersey
* Bergen County: 38.2%
* Essex County: 35.9%
* Morris County: 21.6%
* Passaic County: 39.2%
* Sussex County: 10.9%
..... Nurses were the most common occupation for foreign-born workers in Bergen County. In Essex county, immigrants most typically were construction laborers.
..... In Morris County, immigrants were most typically managers, while in Passaic County they were production workers and in Sussex County they were most typically secondary school teaches.
..... The study relied on data from the 2022 American Community Survey, which is complied by the U.S. Census bureau

..... This article contains information from USA today.

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