Michael Lee Portnoy 11/28/16
Werner Wed 9:30 Research Article
Where exactly is the proof that South American and Mexican immigrants are stealing United States jobs? This question floats around with many liberals in this country, and I know some conservatives think it too whether they share that with others or not, though they seem to casually just go with the general flow stating that Mexicans are stealing our jobs. When it comes to labor force participation,there is definitely a counterargument. Kenneth Megan at the Bipartisan Policy Center notes in a recent paper on immigration and labor force in “The Fiscal Times”. Since the year 2000, the percentage of adults living, yet not born in the U.S. has jumped up significantly, while the number of American adults rose only a small percentage. Part of this small rise is because Americans are having less and less children every generation, while other countries don’t seem to be slowing down the birth rate. However, labor force participation among those two groups has diverged sharply over that time. “In 2000, both reported a labor force participation rate of 67%. Since then, the immigrant population’s participation rate has dropped only to 66%, while the American rate has dropped all the way to 62%.”(Garver, The Fiscal Times)
It makes for a persuasive argument that the increase in migrant workers is keeping American workers from finding jobs. However, that argument is flawed. Otherwise disregarding everyone verbally attacking immigrants during this past election, there is no clear evidence that immigration has brought forth a decline in American employment or labor force participation. The big difference in workforce participation is that, faced with a frustrating job search or other life events that make dropping out of the workforce a possible choice, American workers are simply more likely to have more options, doors to open, and government support than an immigrant does.
My main belief, working in the restaurant industry for several years now, many of these so called degrading jobs, Americans refuse to do, yet refuse to believe Americans need immigrants in the country to do these jobs. Even dinner at my grandma’s around Thanksgiving time, people around the table seemed to disagree with me and say Americans need these jobs that the Mexicans are stealing. I went along with it and asked them all, would you guys want to come work in my restaurant, we’re hiring a dishwasher? They all looked at me like I had four heads when I told them the pay would be $500 a week to work a 72 hour work week. No one spoke another word of the subject that night. My point proven, no Americans will take these jobs. Americans, it seems, are also less willing to take stressful jobs that require lots of training and long hours, and that require them to work in unpleasant environments. For example, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing is warning of a nursing shortage. A survey from the American Hospital Association says there are 100,000 nursing vacancies in the United States. It’s not like the illegal immigrants can take these nursing jobs anyway, they would need legal papers and proper educations in this country.
Spending days and days on end sitting at starbucks on a rigorous job hunt is also work that many Americans avoid. I’m not saying no Americans do it but many could look a lot harder compared to hispanic men who line up in front of train stations and highways before the crack of dawn every morning just to find work. Some luck out and get a job for the day or for the week, while others just stand and wait there 12 hours with no job and end up going home with no money to support and feed their families.
What the United States of America would like Central and South America to know is that they are one of the leading causes of our economic deficit our country is facing today. Many of them take minimum wage jobs working in landscape or in restaurants that appeals degrading and insulting to the average American. What a good portion of the republican and conservative parties believe is they’re stealing our jobs. Why would someone hire a culinary school graduate along with other well qualified Americans to run the kitchen in their restaurant costing them a total of around $100 per hour when they could just pay three mexican guys they met along the way costing them a whopping total of $30 an hour? This all being that these said mexicans have the same capability of putting together the same quality meal as the Culinary student. No one does this anymore unless they’re willing to make no money. I myself am planning to open a restaurant in the foreseeable future, and hiring a qualified chef is not in the books. Mexicans are taking all the jobs teenagers want to be working so they can pay for their booze and pot friday nights before hitting the house parties. Mexicans take jobs like flipping burgers, painting houses, washing dishes, making pizza, and mowing lawns. In conclusion, we need to eliminate all the Mexicans.
At this rate, you know what else Americans should hate for stealing jobs? Machines. A single machine can effectively do the work of a twelve Americans chopping vegetables and washing dishes or manufacturing cars on an assembly line. Why pay 20 assembly workers at minimum wage even, a $20,000 annual salary when you can just buy a machine for $200,000 that will last for six to ten years? A smart businessman wouldn’t, it has no financial logic. The costs aren’t even comparable and machines don’t bullshit call out sick, or start drama with other machines, or take vacations. Machines are stealing from Americans who were born with the privilege to earn these jobs. Phone apps for banks like Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America are taking away the jobs that could be 11-15 dollars an hour. Car assembly factories overseas that cost a fraction of what they would in this country are taking away from people who could be making 80 thousand dollars a year. In conclusion, we need to boycott using machines.
You know what else you should hate for taking our jobs? The Internet. Look at blockbuster, one of the largest booming company in the movie at home business. Netflix completely shot it down to the ground and took the life from it, not Mexicans. What about Borders Book Shop? Amazon knocked them right out because who goes shopping for physical books anymore that cost 40 bucks if they can just buy it on their personal tablet for 20?. Plus, the Internet doesn’t have families, or need annual raises or health care benefits. The Internet is taking away jobs from librarians at libraries, clerks at stores, and, with people only using email now and everyone who still uses snail mail will be dead in the next 20 years, even post office workers will have a lower supply and demand for work. In conclusion, We need to get rid of smartphones and computers. Makes perfect sense doesn’t it?
What I’m trying to explain is, I don’t understand why there is so much anger and blame towards low-skilled Hispanics taking low-skilled jobs for lesser pay. They’re not “stealing” jobs. When I think of a Mexican stealing a job, I think of a white person walking out of a Dunkin Donuts with their head held high because of their new promotion as a shift leader, and then a group of Mexicans attacking him and physically grabbing the job out of his hands as if it were as tangible as a bag of money. This country has changed much over the past few decades. My parents got their jobs because of their qualifications and educations, but this generation has changed the game forever. No one is going to hire someone for more money to do the same job because it’s moral or because they may be more qualified. It’s called job competition, and if your method of competing means you are willing to work for just enough to afford a make-shift apartment, three meals a day and a christmas present for your kids, you win.
On the other hand, here’s a great idea, read a book and gain experience in some field that has a light at the end of the tunnel so that your opportunities aren’t mowing a lawn or filling up people’s gas tanks. I’ve never heard my dad who’s been a Financial Advisor for over twenty years complaining and being nervous about immigrants being a threat to his job at the five different firms he’s worked with. Shoot, maybe if you even go as far as getting a bachelor’s or master’s degree, you won’t have to compete for a job because jobs will compete for you.