JF, from the column:
Even the recent modest surge in jobs has essentially bypassed young American workers. Gains among recently arrived immigrants seem to have accounted for the entire net increase in jobs from 2000 through 2004.
This coincides with another report from the same research center:
aypf.org
Why the huge loss of jobs for teens over the past four years? Sum believes a variety of demand and supply forces are at work, including increased competition from jobless adults, new college graduates, and immigrants. New foreign immigration has remained at high levels, and the influx of many low educated young immigrants over the past four years is an important reason why teens and young adults have found work at much lower rates than before. While there typically is no statistically significant wage difference between native born teens and young immigrants having the same skill sets, Sum said, employers are more likely to hire immigrants for a variety of reasons, such as easier recruitment, ability to work full-time as compared to part-time teenage employees, and a perceived reputation of many immigrants as hardworking and loyal. Moreover, due to the young age structure of the population of new immigrant workers, with 51 percent under the age of 30 and two-thirds under the age of 35, older adults have not faced as much competition for positions as do younger adults and teens. “For example, 70 of every 100 new immigrants between the ages of 25-34 were actively participating in the civilian labor force in 2004 versus only 31 of every 100 new immigrants 55 and older.”
Meanwhile near the bottom of his column, Bob Herbert blames globalization and NAFTA:
Globalization was supposed to be great for everyone. Nafta was supposed to be a boon. Increased productivity was supposed to be the ultimate tool - the sine qua non - for raising the standard of living for all.
Instead, wealth and power in the United States has become ever more dangerously concentrated, leaving an entire generation of essentially powerless workers largely at the mercy of employers.
I think you can see where this is going. Socialist protectionism, a union (pardon the pun) of two liberal ideas which to me is very anti-immigrant.
Tenchusatsu |
