Please review and provide feedback for this AWA essay“The inflow of immigrant workers into our community has put a downward pressure on wages. In fact, the average compensation of unskilled labor in our city has declined by nearly 10% over the past 5 years. Therefore, to protect our local economy, it is essential to impose a moratorium on further immigration.”
Essay:The argument states that due the inflow of immigrant workers in a certain community, there has been a downward pressure on wages. As it currently stands, the argument relies on several assumptions and has no clear evidence to substantiate them. Additionally, it reaches to a conclusion that, to protect the economy it is essential to impose a moratorium, without addressing key factors and presenting data to reach to this conclusion. Consequently, the argument has several flaws that make it unsound and unconvincing.
First, wages in an economy of a certain community can be impacted by several factors, and stating it is the inflow of immigrant as the only cause of the downward pressure could be unjust. It is possible, that the economy as a whole is undergoing crises, due to which overall wages across businesses in the community have reduced. If substantial evidence was provided whilst addressing inflow of immigrant as the main cause it could strengthen the argument.
Second, the argument states that the average compensation of unskilled labor has declined by nearly 10% over the past 5 years. The argument has not established a clear connection with how the decline in the average compensation and the inflow of immigrant workers putting a downward pressure on wages. Furthermore, this data states a 10% decline, but no clear indication as to what percent of decline or impact would be correlated to the downward pressure on wages due to the inflow of immigrant workers.
Lastly, based on these assumptions the argument is reaching to the conclusion that to protect the local economy and not causing any further downward pressure on the wages, the only way possible is by imposing a moratorium on further immigration. No other way has been considered just in reaching this outcome. It is possible that stopping the immigrants from entering the community has other adverse effects. For instance, reduced supply of labor, or lack of sufficient skillset in the domestic labor, which might negatively affect the production and as a result the economy. If these factors are considered and an in depth factual report for the same is analysed, before reaching to this conclusion it could strengthen the argument.
In conclusion the argument is not convincing because of the above-mentioned flaws. If the argument had clearly presented all facts relating to the downward pressure on wages and analysed other factors as well, the argument could be considerably strengthened. In its current state, the argument has flaws, is weak and unsound.