Now we find ourselves in hunker down mode, facing a much higher unemployment rate on the other side of this crisis. But does that mean we should shut off that engine of growth for the region? We don’t think so.
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With unemployment skyrocketing in Massachusetts and across the country, this may not be a good time for more people coming into Central Massachusetts, especially when resources to fight the coronavirus crisis are limited. Yet, President Donald Trump’s latest move to curtail immigration – by limiting some legal immigration for the next 60 days – is detrimental to the local business community as immigrants play an important role in the economy, which is especially true for cities like Worcester and Framingham who have large populations of foreign-born residents. In the last few years we’ve had a desperate need for immigrants to fill jobs and contribute to the economy, now we find ourselves in hunker down mode, facing a much higher unemployment rate on the other side of this crisis. But does that mean we should shut off that engine of growth for the region? We don’t think so.
WBJ News Editor Grant Welker’s story “Population downshift” points out foreign-born residents moving into Greater Worcester have been key to keep the population of the region growing over the past decade. Because the net impact of the birth and death rates has largely been unchanged, international immigrants have been the main reason Greater Worcester’s population grew 3.3% between 2010 and 2019. During the decade, the national migration rate (Americans moving between other American states and metro areas) saw a net annual loss of more than 2,000 people leaving Greater Worcester. If it hadn’t been for the nearly 4,000 foreign-born immigrants who moved to the area each year, Greater Worcester would have lost population.
Last year was a different story, as international immigration into Greater Worcester dropped more than 40% from its 2010s’ average. The number of new immigrants was barely enough to offset the net loss of Americans migrating out of the region. While a number of factors could have influenced this, it’s easy to point to President Trump’s policies having their intended impact.
This impact of immigration policies on Central Mass. population growth is important because you need a growing population to fuel a growing economy. When we get past the COVID-19 pandemic and want to switch back into growth mode, we’ll need more people to fill the jobs we are creating, to bring their spending power to businesses, to eventually build wealth and start their own businesses. Worcester has a significant population coming from, among other places, Albania and Ghana, while Framingham is known for its Brazilian immigrants. All of our immigrant communities have a rich history of adding their own unique value to the cultural and economic life of Central Massachusetts, and their establishment was built up over decades. Shutting off immigration now will only have serious negative impacts months and years down the line.
Our region has thrived by being welcoming to its immigrant communities and seeing that growth translate into a rising economy for all. This crisis is testing all of us in many ways, but it should not turn into a test of immigrants' historic role in contributing to the growth or our region, state or nation.
