Immigrants can unlock productivity growth
History of French protestants to American H1B visa holders shows they can help boost the host country's output, provided they have a good match for its needs
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IMMIGRATION has been making economies demonstrably more productive ever since there have been accurate output statistics. It's not a straightforward effect, however: The immigrants need to be well-suited to the needs of the receiving country's labour market.
In 1685, Louis XIV issued an edict banning protestantism in France. The "heretics" - Huguenots - moved on; they were welcomed by the rulers by then-backward Prussia, hit hard by the 30-year war and plague outbreaks. Prussian rulers never regretted the inflow of up to 20,000 Huguenots, or about 1.3 per cent of the country's population: The influx resulted in a lasting productivity boost.
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