This is a great article which talks about the changing attitude towards immigrants and its negative repercussions on the economy . In Europe, Japan and USA immigration laws are being made tougher and tougher and those immigrants who are educating themselves in these countries find it hard to land a job as companies are not willing to sponsor them. Making immigration laws intricate and discouraging foreign workers is not only bad for the country which is imposing it but also for the country where the immigrant comes from as that country looses precious foreign remittance.
"America educates foreign scientists in its universities and then expels them, a policy the mayor of New York calls “national suicide”. Whether or not this is national suicide only time will tell.
One reason why immigrant workers are being discouraged is that locals believe they eat up all their jobs which results in higher unemployment and drain a lot of the public welfare money as many of the immigrants claim welfare.
ReplyDeleteI think that people's fears about immigration are based more in xenophobia than solid economic reasoning. Unskilled immigrants are hardworking and willing to take lower paying jobs that people born in that country generally don't want. Educated immigrants bring their knowledge and fresh ideas. Immigration seems like a win-win to me, so its a shame that the policies have become stricter, not looser.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tatiana that anti-immigration policies aren't really sound economic policy. Resources should flow between economies in order to keep global markets in check. If one economy doesn't have the capital to sustain higher skilled workers, they need to invest more in this side of the economy in order to accomplish that. If immigrants are the cheapest labor in the economy, this is the most efficient course to take. From a global market standpoint, immigration can be a positive thing.
ReplyDeleteIt is imperative that that the government encourages more and more immigrant workers in white collar jobs as in the near future countries like Japan will face severe labor shortages and attract most of the talented labor. If right measures are not taken right now serious problems could arise in the future.
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