Does High-Skilled Immigration Reduce Opportunities for US Workers

Many Americans worry that high-skilled immigrants take jobs from US workers. While this concern isn't entirely unfounded, the evidence shows that the vast majority of Americans benefit from high-skilled immigration in terms of stronger wage growth and more job opportunities, while immigration restrictions harm US competitiveness and reduce opportunities across the economy.

Key Takeaways

• High-skilled immigration doesn't affect all domestic workers equally. Whether an individual is better or worse off depends on their specific skills, education, and sector of employment.
• For the large majority of American workers who work outside high-skilled STEM occupations, the evidence shows that high-skilled immigration is broadly beneficial.
• Native high-skilled STEM workers can face real short-term frictions when high-skilled immigrants join the US workforce, such as increased competition for certain positions.
• Immigration restrictions aimed at protecting native workers may prove counterproductive. If firms can't find domestic workers with the skills they need, they may offshore high-skilled roles to other countries instead-taking support roles with them.

Cite this essay:

Isabel Lopez Ysmael, "Does High-Skilled Immigration Reduce Opportunities for US Workers?," Hoover Immigration Initiative, Hoover Institution, September 2026.