DENNIS NIXON: Reform The H-1B Visa Program To Increase America’s Workforce

North America represents the world’s most powerful trading bloc, built on the integration of people and goods across borders. As China aggressively expands its economic influence globally, we must embrace comprehensive immigration reform to maintain this competitive edge.

The United States is facing a demographic crisis. Americans are not having enough children to replace retiring workers, with birth rates falling to historic lows. Combined with increasing life expectancy and millions of retiring baby boomers, we are facing severe labor shortages that will slow economic growth.

Over the past 60 years, most of America’s population growth was attributed to higher birth rates, but those rates have decreased below what is needed to maintain population growth. Without immigration, our population—and workforce—will continue to shrink.

Essential industries like construction, agriculture, and manufacturing depend on low-skilled labor, but fewer Americans are willing to take these jobs. We need approximately 600,000 to 650,000 low-skilled workers every year to keep our economy growing. However, as our workforce becomes more highly educated, there are simply fewer people available to fill these jobs.

Pursuing President Trump’s goal of 3% growth depends on having enough workers to produce goods and services. Fewer workers mean less production.

While the Trump administration pursues policies encouraging native-born babies and fewer immigrants, research by The Committee to Unleash Prosperity shows immigrants can help solve this crisis in multiple ways.

In 2022, foreign-born women in the U.S. had 30% more children than native-born women, helping offset our declining birth rates. Immigrants are also more likely to be of working age compared to native-born Americans, a population with a higher share of seniors and children. They are twice as likely to be in prime working ages and accounted for nearly half of the workforce growth over the last decade.