US labor force would shrink without new immigrants

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WASHINGTON, March 9, (AP): America’s work force will only grow over the next two decades if new immigrants arrive to replace retiring Baby Boomers, a report from the Pew Research Center finds. In a report out Wednesday, Pew projects that the US working-age (25-64) population will grow from 173 million in 2015 to 183 million in 2035.

But new immigrants will account for all the growth. Without them, the number of working-age Americans would drop to 166 million by 2035. As Baby Boomers retire, the number of US-born working-age adults with US-born parents will account for a smaller share of working-age population: 66 percent in 2035, down from 74 percent in 2015.

The Pew report echoes what many economists have been saying: The US needs immigrants as Baby Boomers retire, and an unusually large share of working-age Americans choose not to look for work. An aging workforce and disappointing gains in productivity have dragged down US economic growth, which came in at a lackluster 1.9 percent annual rate from October through December.

The report comes as President Donald Trump calls for the construction of a border wall to keep Mexicans from crossing into the United States in search of work. He also supports stepped-up deportations of immigrants living in the US without permission. Pew’s projections are based on current rates of immigration and combine legal immigrants with those who enter the United States illegally.

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