In 2010 there were 24.4 million foreign-born workers making up 15.8 percent of the US labor market says a roundup report issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
With an unemployment rate at 9.8 percent, foreign-born workers fared no better than native-born workers, and they made less money.
“Native-born workers were more likely than foreign-born workers to be employed in management, professional, and related occupations (38.9 versus 28.0 percent), and in sales and office occupations (25.3 versus 17.3 percent),” said the BLS report.
“Foreign-born workers were more likely than native-born workers to be employed in service occupations (25.0 versus 16.4 percent); in production, transportation, and material moving occupations (16.1 versus 10.8 percent); and in natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations (13.6 versus 8.6 percent).”
In terms of earnings, “the median usual weekly earnings of foreign-born full-time wage and salary workers ($598) were 77.5 percent of the earnings of their native-born counterparts ($771). Among
men, median earnings for the foreign born were $610 per week, while the native born earned $873 per week. The median usual weekly earnings for foreign-born women were $577, compared with $686 for native-born women.”
While earnings of foreign-born and native-born workers were “similar” for white, black, or Asian workers, there was a significant difference between Hispanic workers, with foreign-born Hispanic workers making 76.4 percent as much as native-born Hispanic workers.
While close to one third of workers had college degrees, whether foreign-born or native-born, there was a 12 point difference in “some college or an associates degree” (17.1 of foreign-born versus 29.9 percent native born). And a downright disparity in high school equivalency.
“In 2010, 26.5 percent of the foreign-born labor force age 25 and over had not completed high school, compared with 5.4 percent of the native-born labor force.”
According to numbers published by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), about one third of the foreign-born population in the US is considered “unauthorized.” If labor force participation is the same for authorized and unauthorized foreign-born populations, then about 5 percent of the US labor market would be comprised of unauthorized foreign-born workers.
According to DHS tables, 80 percent of the “unauthorized” population would generally be classified as Hispanic; therefore, 4 percent of the US labor market would be foreign-born, “unauthorized,” Hispanic, and earning wages that pay 76.5 cent per every dollar paid to native-born Hispanics.–gm
Texas Civil Rights Review 