I used to kid Tamar Jacoby that she seems to think that low-skilled workers are a scarce resource that we’re running out of, so we need to import more from abroad (she finally acknowledged that’s exactly what she thinks, so when I bring it up now, it’s not kidding any more). But fear not, our reserves of entry-level workers are not depleted; from a new report by Steve Camarota:

If we include all those not in the labor force and all those who are unemployed, there are over 25.2 million adult natives (18 to 65) with a high school education or less who are currently not working. There are another 6.5 million native-born teenagers (16-17) unemployed or not working. Of course, a significant share of those not in the labor force do not wish to work or are unemployable for some reason. But if only one-fourth of these less-educated individuals 18 to 65 became employed, coupled with one-fifth of native-born teenagers, it would equal the entire illegal immigrant workforce, thought to be seven to eight million, though that number has probably declined since hitting a peak in 2007.