By: Jeff Gaus
Some of the more divisive rhetoric over the last six or so presidential election cycles has been the topic of immigration. Deportations, detainment, family separation, wall building, job-stealing, wage suppression, etc. have been part of the conversation….with no resolve. It’s time to fix that.
Fact: the United States is who we are BECAUSE OF immigration. Period. With the exception of original Native American Tribal members, ALL other people of this country are either immigrants or descendants of immigrants. Our numeric and economic growth comes from those who choose to be here and bring their labor or specialist skills in pursuit of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
The United States has a long-term demographic challenge that ALL developed countries ultimately experience: declining birthrates cause an aging population. This is best illustrated by the US’s population pyramid:
Over time, there will be fewer people to “do the work” and support the elderly through tax revenues. We are already experiencing a labor shortage, and it is estimated the US will need between 20-50 million new residents over the next 30 years to keep our economy strong, resilient, and functioning. With the current birthrate at 1.87 live births per woman (replacement rate is 2.2 births per woman) we are falling behind. Fast. There are two solutions: 1) increase the birthrate to ~2.5 (not likely) or 2) embrace immigration.
There are other hidden challenges with this trend: the loss of institutions of higher education pack a wallop for the economy.
Even the DOGE leaders have publicly stated the need for highly skilled immigrants, to the delight of pundit media. However, what many have misinterpreted is the true stance on immigration, which is driven by the estimated cost of spending on ILLEGAL immigration.
What is being called for is comprehensive immigration REFORM. A new paper from the Economic Innovation Group details how a “skills-based” immigration policy can be good for the US economy, and the new Administration is lining up with its thinking. This involves deciding:
How many people does the US need for the future?
What skill sets will the future economy require?
How do we attract and select the immigrants with those skill sets? What is the VISA or green card approval process?
What is the citizenship pathway?
How do we create an incentive for all parties involved?
How soon do we get started?
How this all plays out in the coming two years (before the mid-term elections) will involve machinations on Capitol Hill. Regardless, it is going to happen and it will require labor policies and workplace rules that involve identity management and verifiable credentials of skill sets. All things we’ve designed The Provenance Chain™ Network’s Commercial Trust Protocol to manage.
How will you provide the appropriate evidence of skill sets and employability when asked?
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