New Report from FAIR Examines Impact of Mass Immigration on Younger Workers

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Feb 07, 2014, 08:00 ET

"Generation Jobless" Could Become "Generation Hopeless" Under Pending Immigration Legislation

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new report by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) finds that younger American workers, also known as the Millennial Generation, are being disproportionally harmed by mass immigration. Generation Jobless: The Unemployment Crisis of Millennials finds that excessively high levels of immigration have become a significant impediment to younger workers gaining a foothold in the labor market. The phenomenon has adversely affecting both lesser skilled youth as well as those with college educations or higher.

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The crisis facing the Millennial Generation may be compounded if the House of Representatives follows the lead of the Senate and enacts immigration reform legislation that makes some 12 million illegal aliens eligible to compete legally for every job in the U.S., and doubles the annual intake of new immigration, warns the report.

"One of the main factors contributing to the bleak employment situation faced by American workers, especially those just starting out in their careers, are high levels of immigration," noted Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "It's a plain fact that the U.S. working-age population is increasing faster than jobs are being created, and many new jobs are not well-paying career opportunities. Anyone who is serious about helping young people get a leg up in this economy cannot support immigration policies that put Millennials at a disadvantage," said Stein.

"Lower skilled youth – those who have a high school degree or less – find themselves competing with illegal aliens and poorly skilled legal immigrants who are arriving in large numbers under family chain migration policies. Better skilled Millennials – those who have invested significant money and time in training for what they were told were the 'careers of the future' – are confronted with the reality that employers can take advantage of guest workers and foreign graduates of U.S. universities to fill jobs. Increasingly, Millennials are finding that the doors to opportunity are closed to them," said Stein.

Among the key findings of Generation Jobless:

Half of unemployed workers in October 2013 were Millennials between the ages of 18 and 34.
39 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds were not in the labor force in 2012.
There was an increase of 2.6 million Americans aged 16-34 between 2007 and 2012. During that same time span, the number of employed Americans 16-34 decreased by 2.9 million.
U.S.-born Hispanic Millennials of all education levels are the cohort most adversely affected by competition from foreign workers.
32 percent of Millennials, 21.6 million people, were living with their parents in 2012.

"American immigration policies are betraying our young people," Stein charged. "There isn't much we as a nation can do to mitigate the impact of globalization or mechanization on kids entering the labor force. But there are things we can do to make sure that they get a fair shot at the jobs that are available, like limiting the number of foreign workers who have access to our labor market and enforcing laws against illegal immigration.

"Instead, our leaders are doing precisely the opposite. Congress, at the urging of corporate interests, is considering granting amnesty to illegal aliens and vastly expanding the number of foreign workers who would be admitted to our country. Doing so would turn 'Generation Jobless' into 'Generation Hopeless,'" concluded Stein.

About FAIR
Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 250,000 members nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

SOURCE FAIR