Banter: An AEI Podcast

Does the US economy need low-skill immigration?

06.26.2019 - By AEI PodcastsPlay

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play

Unanimous agreement is rare among economists, but you’d be hard-pressed to find an economist who didn’t advocate increasing high-skill immigration. About low-skill immigration, however, there is more debate. Our guest this episode, economist Aparna Mathur, takes a clear stand: “It’s time to give low-skill immigrants their due.”

We discuss the impact of immigration on the US labor market, how immigrants of various skill levels affect the wages of native-born workers, what policymakers can do to help non-working Americans get back into the workforce, and much more.

Aparna Mathur is a resident scholar in economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, where she researches income inequality and mobility, tax policy, labor markets, and small businesses. She also directs the AEI-Brookings Project on Paid Family and Medical Leave, for which she was recognized in the 2017 Politico 50 list.

You can subscribe to Banter on iTunes, Stitcher, or the podcast player of your choice, and archived episodes can be found at www.aei.org/feature/banter. This is Banter episode #369.

Related reading:

Low-skill worker shortages must be part of immigration discussion

More episodes from Banter: An AEI Podcast