By Jeremy Beck
Worker power, loose borders: pick one (hat tip, Oren Cass) Worker Power! Loose Borders! Batya Ungar Sargon: “I think working class people think about the economy in terms of jobs, because you get meaning from your job….Bring those factories back. The people who are benefitting from mass immigration, benefitting from these trade deals, they’ll be … Continued
By Lisa Irving
April Jobs and Inflation Reports The BLS reported earlier this month that the U.S. economy added 428,000 jobs in April and unemployment remained at 3.6 percent. However, other problematic employment data persist during this economic recovery. The labor participation rate, which consists of those working and those looking for work, was at 62.2 percent in … Continued
By Lisa Irving
Immigration and the USICA and COMPETES Act Conference The House and Senate selected conferees earlier this month to resolve the differences between the texts of the Senate’s United States Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) and House of Representatives’ America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology, and Economic Strength (COMPETES) Act. Both bills are aimed … Continued
By Jeremy Beck
[W]hat is the point of a left party that cannot command the loyalty of the working class and therefore plausibly claim to represent its interests?”- Ruy Teixeira DHS Secretary Mayorkas will expand the H-2B visa program by 35,000. “This preemptive move by Mayorkas lets seasonal employers off the hook from recruiting Americans by offering better … Continued
By Lisa Irving
BLS February Report – Wages Stagnant The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported last week that jobs rose by 678,000 and unemployment fell to 3.8% in February. Many in the media pounced on these numbers, predicting that the labor market will return to pre-pandemic levels this summer. A troubling aspect of the report, however, is … Continued
By Lisa Irving
Earlier this month, The Washington Post and The New York Times yet again published articles extolling immigration-driven population growth while ignoring how it contributes to inequality through its negative impact on American workers. In “Amid Slowdown, Immigration Is Driving U.S. Population Growth” New York Times writers Miriam Jordan and Robert Gebeloff are elated that “immigration … Continued
By Jeremy Beck
A few days after the Twitter Spaces event “How Does Immigration Benefit Black Americans” trended #1 on the social media site, Pamela Denise Long hosted Roy Beck for two sessions to discuss his book Back of the Hiring Line: A 200-year history of immigration surges, employer bias, and the depression of Black wealth. The two … Continued
By Jeremy Beck
A few days after the Twitter Spaces event “How Does Immigration Benefit Black Americans” trended #1 on the social media site, Pamela Denise Long hosted Roy Beck for two sessions to discuss his book Back of the Hiring Line: A 200-year history of immigration surges, employer bias, and the depression of Black wealth. The two … Continued
By Jeremy Beck
Stop me if you’ve heard that immigration has no effect (or minimal effect) on wages. Yes, the last half century of mass immigration coincides with the stagnation of real wages for most workers, but you’ve no doubt read or heard that the two aren’t related. Increasing the supply of labor, we’re told, just doesn’t lower … Continued
