According to the BLS foreign born workers comprise about 15% of the US labor force and about 47% of the net growth of the US labor force between 2000 and 2006.
While I have not seen specific data on this, I think it is safe to assume a high percentage of foreign born workers are employed by small businesses. Several studies also indicate that foreign born Americans start businesses at a 20-40% higher rate than native born.
Clearly foreign born workers and entrepreneurs are a key economic resource for the US and this should be strongly considered in our ongoing immigration debates.
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