Immigrants an asset to Mississippi, says study

In 2014, Mississippi-based immigrants earned $1.3 billion and paid more than $357 million as taxes. Local schools and government programmes, which are important for the state, are being supported mostly through these tax contributions, making a case for more immigrants to be welcomed into Mississippi, according to a new research report released by the Partnership for a New American Economy in the last week of July.

Immigrant families are also contributing to the state’s economy by driving consumption. The money accrued from their contributions is being reinvested in the community, which is increasing the bottom lines of repair shops, retailers and the housing market.

Though the state of Mississippi does not have many foreign nationals, their population is growing quickly and has been instrumental in developing its economy. The Clarion Ledger is quoted as saying that the foreign-born resident population has grown threefold in this state since 1990.

Even as immigrants comprise 2.1 percent of the state’s population, they make up for 3.1 percent of its workforce. In addition, 5.4 percent of Mississippi’s business owners, numbering around 5,800, are immigrants who are creating jobs for the native population. Businesses owned by foreign-born residents of Mississippi managed to generate revenues of $81.6 million in 2014.

The number of opportunities in the US in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) category is growing rapidly without enough number of qualified native workers being there to fill them up. It is also estimated that 800,000 more job opportunities would be created in the STEM segment by the year 2024. All these positions can be filled only if America hires foreign workers.

For instance, one out of seven students pursuing a Master’s degree in an STEM category in universities of Mississippi is foreign born. In low-skilled positions such as housekeeping, agricultural or janitorial positions, few Americans are willing to work. For these positions to be filled up too, workers are needed from foreign countries. Without such measures, maintaining the workforce’s stability is tough.

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