In a survey released this morning by Scioto Analysis, 17 of 19 economists agreed that an increase in the proportion of skilled immigrant workers has helped counteract human capital loss known as "brain drain" in Ohio over the past ten years. “For a long time, Midwestern states have lost college-educated labor to other regions. In Ohio, at least, immigrants are somewhat more likely to have a bachelors degree (about 3 percentage points) and substantially more likely to have graduate degree (about 12 percentage points) according to American Community Survey data,” wrote Curtis Reynolds from Kent State.Wesleyan.
Similarly, 14 of 19 economists agreed that international immigration has driven a significant portion of Ohio’s Gross State Product over the past 10 years. “Although only six percent of the workforce is foreign born they tend to be in high productivity sectors such as technology and health care,” wrote Robert Gitter from Ohio Wesleyan.
When asked about the impacts that immigration had on low-skill wages, 11 of 19 economists disagreed that international immigration led to decreased wages. Seven more were uncertain about the impact, and only one respondent agreed that immigration resulted in lower wages.
Will Georgic from Ohio Wesleyan wrote in his comment “Since the immigration is disproportionately high-skill, it seems plausible that recent immigration has applied upward pressure on low-skill wages in the state by increasing demand for goods/services to a greater extent than the competition for low-skill jobs increased.”
The Ohio Economic Experts Panel is a panel of over 40 Ohio Economists from over 30 Ohio higher educational institutions conducted by Scioto Analysis. The goal of the Ohio Economic Experts Panel is to promote better policy outcomes by providing policymakers, policy influencers, and the public with the informed opinions of Ohio’s leading economists. Individual responses to all surveys can be found here.