Immigrants work, start businesses, more than US-born
Foreign-born Philadelphians, as in most of U.S., more likely to own business, hold jobs than native-born, census data shows
Immigrants work, start businesses, more than US-born
Joseph N. DiStefano
1 of every 7 Philadelphia-area small-business owner was born in India, Mexico, Korea or some other foreign country -- even though immigrants are a little less than 1/10 of the local population, says the Fiscal Policy Institute in this Census data-based report. Thanks to the Pew Philadelphia Research Initiative for the link. City data on Page 22 shows immigrants are an even bigger proportion of small-business owners nationally -- accounting for 900,000 of the nation's 4.9 milllion owners, or almost 1/5 of the total, even though immigrants are just 1/8 of the U.S. population. Immigrants are also more likely to work than Americans generally -- while they're only around 13% of the population, they are 16% of the U.S. workforce.
This is not news to me. Americans are seen as dumb and lazy regardless of race, color,creed or ethnicity. They have entitlement fever and can not seem to find a cure for it. Here's an idea shut up--Get to work!— A. Martinez- check out all the food carts, news stands, laundry mats, dry cleaners, 7-11s, etc. These are things that don't require education, just hard work. All created with either borrowed money or saved money. Their children grow up to become pharmacists, doctors, and engineers. I'm one of the children.— Niko
- As long as they pay their share of taxes and contribute to the well-being of the common society...good for them.— dogman5
...don't they get tax breaks that regular Americans don't get to start businesses?...- Tax breaks? You've got to be kidding. How about getting cheated by their business brokers, the lawyers, the accountants, the handouts demanded on trash pickup day, delivery day. 10-12 hour work days six or seven days a week. Businesses like grocery stores, take out food, laundry to communities that "regular" Americans wont go.
This article really puts an unexpected spin on the political term of "small business".— toshifuni - This is not something unique to the USA... http://bigthink.com/users/claytonchristensen#!video_idea_id=13091
— CptRich - this runs counter to what Im told by politicians. I thought immigrants come here to get over and shun "American values" while refusing to assimilate. I thought they were a drain on American society. I thought the road to prosperity was rooted in closing borders and enforcing a uniform American culture shared by people who only speak English. Was I being misled all this time?— Yakov
