Everyone, at one point in their lives or another, has been stuck. But for immigrants across the nation, “stuck” can describe their entire adult lives.
Everyone, at one point of their lives or another, has been stuck. Stuck in a tricky relationship, stuck trying to find a passion or goal, stuck in a job that doesn’t fit. For many people, “stuck” is just a stop on the way to success. But for immigrants across the nation, “stuck” can describe their entire adult lives.
Highly-educated immigrants are immigrants who immigrate with a college degree or higher, usually from their home country. Unfortunately, these immigrants often find upon arrival in the United States that their credentials and skills won’t transfer to the American workplace, and thus become stuck in low-skill jobs for which they are overqualified. This problem is called occupational mismatch.
A study from the Center for Immigration Studies finds that among immigrants with a college degree, 20 percent have a low-skill* occupation, compared to 7 percent of native-born American citizens. This extends to immigrants with advanced degrees as well, where only 37 percent have an elite-skill** occupation, compared to 50 percent of native-born American citizens. This occupational mismatch occurs for a variety of reasons, including lack of English literacy and lack of familiarity with American hiring processes.
Each person who completes the necessary educational degrees and has the passion and drive to work in the American marketplace should have the unadulterated right to do so. Consider how you can help each qualified American citizen achieve their dreams and give back to this incredible country.
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*Low-skill job is defined as a bottom-third occupation on the payscale.
**Elite-skill job is defined at a top-tenth occupation on the payscale.