The U.S. labor force has seen a significant increase in foreign-born workers since February 2020, with 2.1 million immigrants entering the job market compared to

422,000 U.S.-born people, according to data from Moody's Analytics and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Immigrants represented 83% of the growth in the nation's labor force, and as of March 2023, foreign-born workers accounted for 18.5% of the total labor force of 167 million, with over 31 million immigrant workers. Despite constraints on immigration imposed by the Trump administration and the pandemic, the number of foreign-born workers in the U.S. job market has continued to rise.

The rebound of industries affected by COVID-19, such as restaurants, bars, retail, construction, transportation, and healthcare, which have a disproportionate share of immigrants, has contributed to the increase. Additionally, many foreign-born workers retire later than their U.S.-born counterparts due to lower wages, savings, and Social Security benefits.

Experts suggest that reducing barriers to immigration is essential to growing the labor force and boosting productivity and economic growth, especially since U.S. fertility rates have been declining. Photo by Grand Canyon National Park, Wikimedia commons.