E.g., 04/16/2024
E.g., 04/16/2024
Labor Markets Initiative

Labor Markets Initiative

The Labor Markets Initiative produced detailed policy recommendations on how the United States should rethink its immigration policy in the light of what is known about the economic impact of immigration—bearing in mind the current context of the economic crisis, growing income inequality, concerns about the effect of globalization on U.S. competitiveness, the competition for highly skilled migrants, and demographic and technological change.

Within MPI, the project was led by MPI President Demetrios Papademetriou and Senior Vice President Michael Fix. The initiative's work was also guided by a group of leading experts in labor economics, welfare policy, and immigration.

Recent Activity

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Reports
January 2011
Immigration Policy and Less-Skilled Workers in the United States: Reflections on Future Directions for Reform
By  Harry J. Holzer
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Reports
October 2010
Migration and Immigrants Two Years after the Financial Collapse: Where Do We Stand?
By  Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Madeleine Sumption and Aaron Terrazas
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Multimedia
June 7, 2010
Immigrants: Contributors to the Economy or Competitors for American Jobs?
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Reports
June 2010
The Impact of Immigrants in Recession and Economic Expansion
By  Giovanni Peri
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Multimedia
April 12, 2010
Immigrant Legalization: Assessing Labor Market Effects
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Multimedia
December 2, 2009
Illegal Immigration's Effects on the U.S. Economy and Policy
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Reports
December 2009
The Economics and Policy of Illegal Immigration in the United States
By  Gordon H. Hanson
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Reports
November 2009
Tied to the Business Cycle: How Immigrants Fare in Good and Bad Economic Times
By  Pia M. Orrenius and Madeline Zavodny

Pages

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Reports
July 2009
Aligning Temporary Immigration Visas with U.S. Labor Market Needs: The Case for a New System of Provisional Visas
By  Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Doris Meissner, Marc R. Rosenblum and Madeleine Sumption
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Reports
May 2009
Harnessing the Advantages of Immigration for a 21st-Century Economy: A Standing Commission on Labor Markets, Economic Competitiveness, and Migration
By  Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Doris Meissner, Marc R. Rosenblum and Madeleine Sumption
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Reports
January 2009
Immigrants and the Current Economic Crisis: Research Evidence, Policy Challenges, and Implications
By  Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Aaron Terrazas
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Fact Sheets
January 2004
The Foreign Born in the U.S. Labor Force: Numbers and Trends
By  Elizabeth Grieco

Pages

MI_PeriReport
Video, Audio
June 7, 2010

Immigrants: Contributors to the Economy or Competitors for American Jobs?

The long-term impact of immigration on the average income of Americans is small but positive. In the short term, however, immigration may slightly reduce native employment and average income. This discussion explores findings of a report analyzing both short- and long-run impacts of immigration on average and over the business cycle.

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Video, Audio
April 12, 2010

Immigrant Legalization: Assessing Labor Market Effects

Public Policy Institute of California researchers Magnus Lofstrom and Laura Hill discuss their research examining the potential labor market outcomes and other possible economic effects of a legalization program.

multimedia IllegalImmEffectsEconomy
Video, Audio
December 2, 2009

Illegal Immigration's Effects on the U.S. Economy and Policy

Illegal immigration's overall impact on the U.S. economy is negligible, despite clear benefits for employers and unauthorized immigrants and slightly depressed wages for low-skilled native workers, according to UCSD Professor of Economics Gordon Hanson.

Pages

Recent Activity

Reports
January 2011

Immigration Policy and Less-Skilled Workers in the United States: Reflections on Future Directions for Reform

Notwithstanding the broad consensus on the benefits of highly skilled immigration, the economic role of less-skilled immigrants is one of the more controversial questions in the immigration debate. While less-skilled immigrants bring economic benefits for U.S. consumers, employers, and skilled workers, they impose some costs on U.S. workers competing for similar jobs.

Reports
October 2010

Migration and Immigrants Two Years after the Financial Collapse: Where Do We Stand?

Immigrants have been disproportionately hit by the global economic crisis that began in 2008 and now confront a number of challenges. The report, which has a particular focus on Germany, Ireland, Spain, the United Kingdom, and United States finds that the unemployment gap between immigrant and native workers has widened in many places.

Video, Audio
June 7, 2010

Immigrants: Contributors to the Economy or Competitors for American Jobs?

The long-term impact of immigration on the average income of Americans is small but positive. In the short term, however, immigration may slightly reduce native employment and average income. This discussion explores findings of a report analyzing both short- and long-run impacts of immigration on average and over the business cycle.

Reports
June 2010

The Impact of Immigrants in Recession and Economic Expansion

A broad consensus exists that the long-term impact of immigration on Americans' average income is small but positive, improving employment, productivity, and income. In the short term, however, immigration may slightly reduce native employment and average income. This report provides an analysis of short- and long-run impacts of immigration over the business cycle.

Video, Audio
April 12, 2010

Immigrant Legalization: Assessing Labor Market Effects

Public Policy Institute of California researchers Magnus Lofstrom and Laura Hill discuss their research examining the potential labor market outcomes and other possible economic effects of a legalization program.

Video, Audio
December 2, 2009

Illegal Immigration's Effects on the U.S. Economy and Policy

Illegal immigration's overall impact on the U.S. economy is negligible, despite clear benefits for employers and unauthorized immigrants and slightly depressed wages for low-skilled native workers, according to UCSD Professor of Economics Gordon Hanson.

Reports
December 2009

The Economics and Policy of Illegal Immigration in the United States

An examination of illegal immigration's overall impact on the U.S. economy, which this report finds is negligible despite clear benefits for employers and unauthorized immigrants and slightly depressed wages for low-skilled native workers.

Reports
November 2009

Tied to the Business Cycle: How Immigrants Fare in Good and Bad Economic Times

This report analyzes employment and unemployment patterns from 1994 to 2008, offers possible explanations for why labor market outcomes for immigrants have been more cyclical, and proposes possible public policy solutions for mitigating immigrants’ vulnerability to the business cycle. 

Pages