Fiscal Policy Institute - Immigration Research Initiative








 

 

 

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James Parrott

Fiscal Policy Institute

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  The Fiscal Policy Institute's
 Immigration Research Initiative 
 		    

 

FPI's Immigration Research Initiative examines the role of immigrants in the New York State economy, in metropolitan areas around the country, and in the United States as a whole.

 

The Immigration Research Initiative is guided by an expert advisory panel of respected professionals in a range of relevant fields.

 

The initiative is directed by David Dyssegaard Kallick, FPI Senior Fellow, who can be reached at 212-721-7164 or ddkallick@fiscalpolicy.org.


 

Reports

October 27, 2011.  New Americans on Long Island: A Vital Sixth of the Economy.

Immigrants - documented and undocumented combined - make up 16 percent of the population of Long Island, and account for 17 percent of total economic output. This report presents data on jobs, earnings, family income, taxes, and home ownership. Immigrants' economic role is examined town by town and in a national context as well. Among the 50 most affluent suburban counties in the country, Nassau and Suffolk are neither at the top nor the bottom of any of several measures of immigration. Driving immigrants away from Long Island would exact a high price to the social fabric and to the local economy.

October 3, 2011.  Immigrants Make up Half of All Small Business Owners in NYC.

New numbers from FPI's Immigration Research Institute show that immigrants make up almost half of all small business owners in New York City.  And, immigrants in the labor force are somewhat more likely than U.S.-born workers to own small businesses. Immigrant small business owners are an extremely diverse group, with no single country of origin dominating; in fact, the top ten groups together still make up just 45 percent of the total number of immigrant small business owners. The businesses immigrants own range across all sectors of the economy.

December 1, 2010.  Immigration's Impacts on the Long Island Economy.

A report by David Dyssegaard Kallick published in the Regional Labor Review, vol. 13, no. 1 (Fall 2010), published by the Center for the Study of Labor and Democracy at Hofstra University.

November 17, 2010.  The Changing Profile of Long Island's Economy: How U.S.-born workers have fared as immigration has grown.

This report shows the big overall immigrant contribution to Long Island's economy, stressing the diversity of immigrant jobs, but also looking at whether immigrants are displacing U.S.-born workers or lowering wages. For nearly all Long Island residents the answer is no. However, there is reason for concern about African American men with a high school diploma or less. They seem to be losing ground (higher unemployment rates) as immigrant share of the labor force increases. This issue deserves attention despite the fact that unemployment rates on Long Island were too high even before much immigration.

April 15, 2010.  Across the Spectrum: The Wide Range of Jobs Immigrants Do.

Immigrants are by no means all low-wage workers in the 25 largest metropolitan areas, as this new report shows. In many metro areas, there are more higher-skilled immigrants than there are lower-skilled. Surprisingly, these are not the metro areas with the most economic growth; rather, they are areas with low overall immigration, including Pittsburgh, Detroit, and St. Louis. This is a companion report to Immigrants and the Economy, below. More >>

New York Times, April 15, 2010:

November 30, 2009.  Immigrants and the Economy: Contribution of Immigrant Workers to the Country's 25 Largest Metropolitan Areas, with a focus on the five largest metro areas in the East.

In the 25 metro areas combined, immigrants account for 20 percent of economic output and 20 percent of the population. The same basic relationship holds true, with slight variation, for each of the 25 areas, from metro Pittsburgh, where immigrants represent 3 percent of population and 4 percent of GDP, to metro Miami, where immigrants make up 37 percent of the population and 38 percent of GDP. Immigrants and the Economy also looks at the wide range of occupations held by immigrants and other reasons immigrant economic contribution is so consistently strong, with a special focus on the five largest metro areas in the East.

November 26, 2007.  Working for a Better Life: A Profile of Immigrants in the New York State Economy.

What role do immigrants play in the New York State economy? In 2006, they added $229 billion in economic activity - representing fully 22.4 percent of the state's gross domestic product. This major new report also examines what countries  immigrants come from, where they work and how well they are doing. The report includes detailed analysis of the role of immigrant workers and families in three distinct regional economies: New York City, the downstate suburbs, and upstate New York.

Briefs and Presentations

April 16, 2012.  Testimony on the importance of libraries to integrating immigrants.

Before a New York City Council hearing about the impact of Mayor Bloomberg's proposed budget cuts to libraries, FPI's David Dyssegaard Kallick stressed the important role libraries play in helping to integrate immigrants into the social and economic fabric of New York City.

March 9, 2012.  The New York State DREAM Act: A preliminary estimate of costs and benefits.

The New York State DREAM Act would open the state's Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) to all students who meet the funding criteria, irrespective of their immigration status. What would be the costs and benefits of this proposal? Read the brief >>

February 13, 2012.  Immigrants and the New York Economy.

A presentation to the New York Immigration Coalition, giving a brief overview of the New York State economy, and the economic role immigrants play.

December 9, 2011.  Testimony on "DREAM Act" Legislation.

FPI's David Dyssegaard Kallick was invited to deliver testimony before a joint hearing convened by the New York State Assembly Standing Committee on Governmental Operations and Standing Committee on Higher Education. He testified that going to college allows immigrants - even undocumented immigrants - to improve their employment opportunities, thereby boosting their contribution to the economy and to tax revenues. "Their success is also our success," Kallick noted.

September 27, 2011.  The Economic Role of Immigrants in the U.S. Economy.

A presentation to the Neighbors Link Network.

June 22, 2011.  Brooklyn Labor Market Review - Spring 2011.

Prepared by FPI  for the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, the latest issue of the Brooklyn Labor Market Review looks at immigrant entrepreneurs in Brooklyn by sector. The report finds that there are nearly 14,500 Brooklyn immigrant small businesses across a range of sectors from construction to restaurants, grocery stores, child care services and doctors' offices.

August 2, 2010.  New York City Immigrants in the Great Recession.

How are immigrants faring in the economic downturn? Data released by FPI shows that immigrants, who make up nearly half of the New York City labor force, have an unemployment rate that is slightly lower than for U.S.-born workers. First, immigration is sensitive to labor market demand, so when there are fewer jobs, immigration slows. Second, lacking a safety net, immigrants are more likely to work at whatever jobs they can get. U.S.-born workers may have the resources to search longer for jobs that better match their skill level.

June 30, 2010.  Testimony by David Dyssegaard Kallick before the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.

Senior fellow David Dyssegaard Kallick testified at a public hearing held by the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform to hear ideas from members of the public. He testified about the relationship between immigration and economic growth and about the importance of federal support for state and local governments.

January 21, 2010.  Immigrants in New York City: Economic Profile by Country of Origin.

Data citywide as well as specific to countries of origin (in order of population impact): Dominican Republic, Mexico, India, China, Jamaica, Ecuador, Colombia, Guyana and British Guiana, Philippines, Haiti, El Salvador, Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, Poland, Peru, Italy, Russia and other USSR, Ukraine, Pakistan, Cuba, Bangladesh, and Hong Kong.

December 13, 2009.  New York's Regional Economies: The Hudson Valley.

Press release, report.

December 8, 2009.  New York's Regional Economies: Long Island.

Press release, report.
 

News coverage

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight a report just released by the Fiscal Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research group, regarding the contributions of immigrant in the 25 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S.

The report makes official what we've known all along: Immigration and economic growth go hand-in-hand. That's right - immigrants boost economic productivity and create jobs.


Philadelphia's Memorial to Irish Immigration - Photo by John Ostapkovich, KYW.