U.S. workforce needs immigrants, says PEW study
by Paul Wiseman, The Associated Press
The PEW Research Center says without immigrants the number of working-age Americans would drop to 166 million by 2035 from 173 million in 2015
WASHINGTON—America’s workforce 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.
Pew projects that the U.S. 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 U.S.-born working-age adults with U.S.-born parents will account for a smaller share of working-age population: 66 per cent in 2035, down from 74 per cent in 2015.
Pew’s projections are based on current rates of immigration and combine legal immigrants with those who enter the United States illegally.
