In this episode of Work in Progress, we dive into the significant contribution that immigrants and foreign-born workers already make to our economy and explore ways to create better pathways to economic mobility through education and training.

In March, at SXSW EDU in Austin, WorkingNation brought together business, education, and nonprofit leaders for a discussion on the subject. Joining me on stage at the conference were Katie Brown, founder and chief education officer for EnGen; Jina Krause-Vilmar, CEO of Upwardly Global; and Arturo Cázares, CEO of Latino Business Action Network.

There are 47.8 million immigrants in our country. That’s about 14% of the population. One in five workers in our country is an immigrant. Immigrants and foreign-born workers generate trillions in economic activity and tax revenue. Economists argue that reducing immigration could have a major negative impact on GDP growth.

The immigrant workforce is diverse, touching every industry and community. Immigrants have a range of educational and skill levels, from low-wage workers to entrepreneurs to highly-educated professionals. And there are barriers to economic mobility for all levels of the immigrant population.

These hurdles include lack of English skills, difficulties getting professional credentials and qualifications earned in other countries recognized in the U.S., lack of access to capital, and lack of access to career navigation and support services.

My conversation with Brown, Krause-Vilmar, and Cázares looks at those barriers and what is being done to break them down for the contribution by immigrants to our economic growth can be even greater.

The podcast here also includes the lively discussion with the audience members who joined us in the room. My thanks to the panelists and the audience, and to SXSW EDU for giving us the stage for this important conversation.

I also want to share my gratitude and thanks to my colleague Laura Aka for bringing this panel together and sharing her insights and knowledge with us on the subject.

I encourage everyone to take the time to listen.

You can listen to the full podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find our podcasts on the Work in Progress YouTube channel.

Episode 359: From SXSW EDU: Katie Brown, Jina Krause-Vilmar, and Arturo Cázares
Host & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNation
Producer: Larry Buhl
Theme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4
Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode here
Work in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here