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The Economic Theory Of Immigration Essay

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A nation of immigrants, the land of opportunity, the American dream; throughout its existence the United States has been a land to which individuals would travel in order to attempt to provide better lives for themselves and their families. While the lives of immigrants may not seem ideal through the eyes of the average American it is important to remember that the culture that has been established in America is much different than the culture that many immigrants have experienced in their previous countries. The neoclassical economic theory of immigration explains why it is that immigrants are so willing to pick up their lives in their old country and start from scratch in the United States. To begin with, the American population has become more educated and as a result the demand for lower skilled workers has been steadily increasing. Low skilled workers are in abundance throughout the immigration population; in 2010 28.9% of immigrants had less than a high school education and 25.4% of immigrants had only a high school diploma. Therefore, immigrants were the perfect fit to occupy the open positions in low skilled work. Why would immigrants want to move from their homes to the United States only to take part in low skilled jobs? The Answer is money. Low skilled workers often end up performing manual labor such as construction or farm work. In 2005 the average construction worker in Mexico made the equivalent to $342 a month (worldsalaries.org). In The Working Poor by

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