"Immigrants Do Jobs Americans Won't Do"
This module explains why the claim that immigrants do jobs Americans won’t do is misleading and how mass immigration suppresses wages.
The Claim vs. Economic Reality
The slogan "Immigrants do jobs Americans won’t do" sounds simple, but it hides an important truth. Americans will do any job if the wage is fair. When employers can hire cheaper foreign labor, they have less reason to raise pay or improve conditions. This keeps wages artificially low for working-class Hoosiers in construction, meatpacking, agriculture, and service industries.
Harvard economist George Borjas has shown through decades of research that mass low-skill immigration reduces wages for native workers without a high school diploma by 3 to 9 percent in affected occupations. The effect is strongest on earlier immigrants and young workers entering the labor market.
What the Slogan Really Protects
The claim mainly benefits employers who gain from a steady supply of lower-cost labor. It does not serve American workers, communities, or long-term economic health. When labor is abundant and cheap, businesses invest less in training, automation, or better wages. Local economies lose the multiplier effect of higher worker earnings spent in town.
Historical evidence confirms this. During the 1924–1965 immigration pause, wages for low-skill workers rose steadily and Black Americans made major gains in northern industries. When inflows surged again after 1965 and especially after 1990, wage growth for non-college workers stagnated.
How to Answer Clearly
- Correct the premise: "Americans will do any job at a market wage. Mass immigration simply lowers that wage."
- Cite the research: "George Borjas found wage suppression of up to 9 percent for the least-skilled workers."
- Refocus on fairness: "We should raise wages and train American workers, not import a permanent underclass."
SHI supports legal immigration that serves the national interest, not cheap labor lobbies. Protecting wages and job opportunities for heritage Americans and prior immigrants is both economically sound and morally right. It builds stronger communities and a more self-reliant Indiana for the generations to come.