Economic Impact

Immigration reform isn’t just good for companies—it’s also good for American workers, consumers, and the economy as a whole. Business Roundtable advocates smart immigration policies that create a system which supports the American workforce and provides the necessary economic boost to increase productivity, raise wages, and reduce unemployment.

Many economists agree that immigration leads to a positive net impact on the U.S. economy, but restrictions on the number of employment-based visas and the costs of employer sponsorships are preventing businesses from hiring the workers they need across all skill levels. Particularly for high-skilled jobs, these limitations prevent U.S. companies from recruiting the best talent to stay competitive with other countries. In 2018, more than 190,000 people applied for just 85,000 available high-skill H-1B visas.

How the Future of American Immigration Can Impact the Economy

Providing new ideas and fresh perspectives, immigrants have always been a key part of America’s innovative spirit. A vast majority of economists and business leaders agree that immigration is a net positive for the U.S. economy. But, the system for welcoming these highly valuable workers is broken. This study explores how two potential policy scenarios—restricted and balanced—would impact the U.S. workforce and economy.

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Many of these broken policies stem from misperceptions about how immigration affects native-born workers and the United States economy more broadly. Two commonly held beliefs are that immigrants take jobs from U.S. citizens and that immigrants push down wages for fellow workers. But the best available data say these realities are, simply put, untrue.

How Immigration Helps Increase Wages & Economic Growth

Immigrants are the backbone of the American economy. As workers, employers, taxpayers, and members of our communities, immigrants–together with U.S.-born workers–are the engine that drives our spirit of innovation and economic growth.

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