A new report from the Center for Immigration Studies finds that the majority of the net increase in employment among Florida’s working age population since the first quarter of 2000 has gone to legal and illegal immigrants. Florida ranked second in the nation in employment growth among 16 to 65 year olds since the first quarter of 2000, CIS says, but still ranks 34th nationwide in labor-force participation of its native-born population in the same age range.
“Employment data for the state do not support the idea that workers are in short supply,” the report states. “In the future Florida’s political leaders should at least consider the employment situation in their state before supporting calls for significantly increasing the number of foreign workers allowed into the country.”
According to CIS, both the total number and share of natives not working has grown significantly in Florida since 2000. But if the employment rate of natives remained where it was in 2000, CIS claims, approximately 768,000 more natives would be working today.