As the United States strives to build a workforce that will maintain its economic competitiveness, we must invest in education and training for foreign-born workers.
Key Findings
Immigrants are significant contributors to the US labor force. They currently represent 17 percent of workers. Many immigrants are in their prime working years, in contrast to an aging native-born workforce.
Significant portions of immigrants and the native born are currently working in jobs for which they are educationally overqualified. But when immigrants are educationally overqualified they earn less than their native-born peers with similar skills in similar jobs.
Foreign-born workers may benefit from greater access to additional education and training, particularly professional licenses and certificates. Post-secondary education and workforce development institutions will be most effective in reaching these workers with programs that are responsive to immigrant workers' unique characteristics.
Findings should be evaluated against the evolving landscape of immigration policy, demographic change, and population shifts to most effectively inform future programs and investments. The US economy's future vitality depends on its ability to maximize the skills and talents of all workers—foreign born and native born alike.
