The country’s aging population and low fertility rate jeopardizes the solvency of Social Security and the Medicare program, according to a new study by Brookings

The immigration crisis  has become a recurring theme in social gatherings and political debates, and is the main issue of the U.S. presidential election. Amid this discussion, one certainty stands out: while it’s well known that migrants have a need to live in the United States, a study has highlighted that the country needs them too.

Twenty percent of U.S. workers were not born in the United States, and it is expected that in the near future more than seven million more migrants will be needed for the labor market. That’s according to a study by Brookings, which warns about how the higher-than-expected increase in pensioners following the Covid-19 pandemic will affect the U.S. economy.

As the baby boomer generation approaches age 80, two challenges are facing the U.S. economy: providing staff to care for the elderly and ensuring the solvency of Social Security and the Medicare program.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    It also gets corporations of the hook and uses immigrants as a scapegoat. The argument shouldn’t be “immigrants will accept lower wages,” it should be “companies should be paying higher wages.” Even for immigrants.

    • Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      4 months ago

      It’s the same shit with offshoring. They do it because they can pay people less.

      It’s always fucked with me.

      Because no, no human is worth less than others based on geographic location or local economy or where you came from originally.

      If you’re educated enough to do the same job as a US citizen, and you’re working for a company based in the US, you should get equivalent pay to your US counterparts. You’re not worth less as a human because you’re from a different area.

      It’s fucking disgusting, I’ve thought it was disgusting my whole life. It’s nothing but exploitation.

      It hurts people in the USA by driving down wages and it hurts people internationally because these companies pat themselves on the back for “lifting up” these people and economies when the real reason they’re doing is they’re cheap fucking bastards. If they really wanted to lift up those economies, they’d pay people equivalent US wages in the local currency.

      If that means you make a society of local millionaires overnight, oh well. This whole paying people less because their local economy is smaller is fuckstupid hateful hurtful bullshit.

      See also: how orchard owners don’t pay minimum wage to harvest, they pay “by the tree” to skirt minimum wage laws.