Labor shortage? Are you kidding?

Immigration is No Fix for an Aging Society.

The problem in America is not that we don't have enough working-age (16 to 65) people relative to retirees. Instead, the problem is that so many working-age people are not working.

A job fair in Saginaw, Mich., in January.
(Photo: David C Bristow, AP)

Today, about one out of three Americans ages 16 to 65 is not working; in 2000 it was one out of four. At the start of this year, 68 million working-age Americans (excluding prisoners) were not working — 19 million more than in January 2000. Many of those not working are not even looking for work and have left the labor force entirely. There is clearly no shortage of potential workers in America now or in the foreseeable future.

Wage data also indicate that there is certainly no worker shortage. There is general agreement among economists that there has been very little wage growth for more educated workers, such as those in science and technology. For the less-educated, wages show a long-term decline. If workers were in short supply, wages would be rising rapidly.

Furthermore, the United States already brings in more than a million legal permanent immigrants annually. Given the current high level of immigration, as well as stagnant wages and the huge number of working-age people not working, it makes no sense to bring in even more immigrant workers.

Read the rest of the story HERE.

OPPOSING VIEW: Beyond jobs numbers, labor shortage looms

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