Immigrants Working for U.S. Pharmaceuticals

This paper analyzes the role of immigrants in the pharmaceutical industry and is the first in a series about the economic contributions of immigrants in key industries in the United States. In 2011, immigrants represented 13 percent of the U.S. population but accounted for 17 percent of the workforce in the pharmaceutical industry.

The role of immigrants was even more pronounced in pharmaceutical production and distribution with 26 percent of all positions held by the foreign-born. In high-skilled occupations, immigrants represented 33 percent of the research and development workforce and more than 40 percent of the scientists. Among the key findings are: the U.S. pharmaceutical industry is considerably dependent on immigrant labor especially in key occupations like research and development, production and distribution; among the 10 top countries of origin for workers in the industry are many emerging pharmaceutical markets; and the U.S. pharmaceutical industry benefits from immigration since it profits from skills and talents that would otherwise be available to its foreign competitors. 

Download the report or view it online.

Get more from the Institute for Immigration Research at George Mason University.