Immigration obviously has been a contentious issue in the presidential election, but there is little doubt the contribution that migrants continue to make to the nation’s workforce, including in New Jersey.

A Stockton University study found that 28.95% of the state’s workforce in 2022 was foreign-born, well higher than the national share of about 18%. That share is over 40% in some counties (Hudson, Middlesex, and Union), according to the study.

Moreover,  the study found foreign-born workers in New Jersey have greater participation in the labor force  than do native-born, with 69.9% of immigrant workers either employed or actively looking for work, compared to 64.71% of the native-born workers.