Thread: Arizona work force is heavily Hispanic

Business
Arizona work force is heavily Hispanic
By Howard Fischer
Capitol Media Services
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 01.25.2008
PHOENIX — The Pew Hispanic Center released a study of Arizona's Hispanic work force Thursday in response to the enactment of the state's employer-sanctions law Jan. 1.
The study, conducted using information from both the U.S. Census Bureau and Pew's own analysts, was designed to not only provide the most up-to-date figures but also compare Arizona with the rest of the nation.
"Foreign-born workers, especially of Mexican origin, play a larger role in Arizona than in the nation," the study reads. "These workers tend to have lower levels of education and are concentrated in blue-collar industries and occupations."
Hispanic population
According to the report, 29.1 percent of all Arizonans in 2006 were Hispanic, double the national figure.
Of that, more than a half of those were not born in this country. And most of those are not citizens.
It also found that the number of Hispanics in the state has grown three times as fast as the non-Hispanic population since the beginning of the decade.
Work-force breakdown
Up to 10.5 percent of the state work force's in 2006 — more than 300,000 people — came here illegally, according to a new study. That's double the national average.
The report also found that 18 percent of the more than 2.9 million people in the labor force were not born in the United States. The balance are presumed to be legal residents.
Top job sectors
Specifically, the report says that foreign-born workers make up almost two-thirds of total employment in farming and forestry, half of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance, and more than 40 percent of those in construction trades.
And a quarter of those in food preparation and serving were not born in this country.
Male, less educated
The statistics also show that while the state's population is almost evenly divided between men and women, 55 percent of foreign-born Hispanics are male. And the share of males is even higher among recent immigrants, totaling in excess of 60 percent.
Latinos in general, whether native-born or not, also are less educated than the population in general. Pew Hispanic figures that fewer than 47 percent of Arizonans of working age have a high school education or less; for Latinos, the figure exceeds 70 percent.
http://www.azstarnet.com/business/222103

Shocking. And I suppose not a single one of these illegals has ever voted in any election.

Arizona needs some new leaderships as does many of our states across this nation.

I hope the new laws in Arizona will continue to withstand challenges. What's up with that Phoenix Mayor, anyway?

Related post:

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-99765-.html