Thread: Foreign-born Workers in Construction and Other Industries

Foreign-born Workers in Construction and Other Industries
(Section 14 of The Construction Chart Book, Fourth Edition, December 2007)


CPWR – Center for Construction Research and Training

In 2005, there were 21 million foreign-born workers in the United States, making up 15% of the U.S. workforce.1 Construction employs the highest percentage of foreign-born workers outside of agriculture (chart 14a). About 2.3 million construction workers were born in foreign countries.

These statistics are from the American Community Survey, the largest household survey in the nation, with an annual sample size of about 3 million households. This survey is a part of the Decennial Census Program, a census that takes place every 10 years and next will be conducted in 2010. The survey is a new approach designed to gather accurate and timely demographic information, such as age, gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as socioeconomic indicators, including education, residence, birthplace, language spoken at home, employment, and income, on an annual basis for both large and small geographic areas within the United States.

The survey defines foreign-born persons as those who reside in the United States but who were born outside the country, or one of its outlying areas, to parents who were not U.S. citizens. The foreign-born include legally-admitted immigrants, refugees, temporary residents such as students and temporary workers, and undocumented immigrants[/color]. The survey data, however, do not separately identify the number of persons in each of these categories.
The estimate of foreign-born construction workers represents workers who were employed when the survey was conducted. In 2005, 84% of foreign-born workers in construction were born in Latin American countries (chart 14b), including 59% in Mexico, 5% in El Salvador, 4% in Guatemala, 3% in Honduras, 2% in Cuba, and a small percentage in other countries in that area. Workers born in Latin America are categorized as Hispanic origin under ethnicity. Hispanics are the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States (see chart book pages 15 and 16). Europeans made up 9% of foreign-born workers in construction, and an additional 5% came from Asia in 2005 (chart 14b). About 80% of foreign-born construction workers reported that they were not U.S. citizens when the survey was conducted.In 2005, one of four construction workers spoke a language other than English at home (chart 14c). Among foreign born construction workers, about 84% reported they spoke Spanish at home, which corresponds with the proportion of workers born in Latin America. Other languages spoken at home among foreign-born construction workers include Portuguese (2.4%), Polish (2.1%), and Russian (1.1%). Overall, more than 26 million workers in the United States spoke languages other than English at home in 2005.

The pace of growth in the foreign-born population was much faster in the decade since 1995 than in previous years. Onehalf of all foreign-born construction workers surveyed in 2005 entered the United States since 1995 (chart 14d). Although there is no universally accepted method of estimating, it is reported that there were 7 to 11 million unauthorized immigrant workers in 2005.2,3 In addition, large numbers of immigrant workers were employed in the "informal" economy (such as some day-laborer hiring sites), and their economic activities are not recognized, regulated, or protected by law.4,5

These immigration trends are expected to continue. Almost one-third of the current population growth in the United States is caused by net immigration, or more people immigrating than emigrating. It is projected that about 86% of the population growth during the year 2050 may be due to the effects of post- 1992 net immigration.6 The large and rapid growth of immigration provides a vigorous workforce to the construction industry and presents distinct challenges as well. It has been frequently reported that immigrants have higher rates of fatalities and injuries on the job.5 There is an urgent need to develop innovative strategies to address their health and safety.









Download MS PowerPoint versions of Charts



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. U.S. Census Bureau, 2005 American Community Survey. Calculations by CPWR Data Center.

2. Jeffrey S. Passel. The Size and Characteristics of the Unauthorized Migrant Population in the U.S. Estimates based on the March 2005 Current Population Survey. Pew Hispanic Center: Research Report, March 7, 2006, http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/61.pdf (Accessed November 2007).


3. Pew Hispanic Center. Estimates of the Unauthorized Migrant Population for States based on the March 2005 Current Population Survey. Fact Sheet April 26, 2006, http://www.pewhispanic.org (Accessed November 2007).

4. Abel Valenzuela Jr., Nik Theodore, Edwin Meléndez, and Ana Luz Gonzalez. On the Corner: Day Labor in the United States, January 2006, http://www.uic.edu/cuppa/uicued/Publica ... corner.pdf (Accessed November 2007).

5. AFL-CIO. Immigrant Workers at Risk: The Urgent Need for Improved Workplace Safety and Health Policies and Programs, August 2005, http://www.aflcio.org/aboutus/laborday/ ... t_risk.pdf (Accessed November 2007).

6. U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates and projections of resident populations: 1950 to 2050, http://www.census.gov/prod/1/pop/profile/95/2_ps.pdf (Accessed November 2007).

Note:
Chart 14b - "Other" world areas include North America, Africa, and Oceania (islands in the Pacific Ocean and vicinity).

Source:
All charts - U.S. Census Bureau, 2005 American Community Survey. Calculations by CPWR Data Center..



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back to Table of Contents



This document appears in the eLCOSH website with the permission of the author and/or copyright holder and may not be reproduced without their consent. eLCOSH is an information clearinghouse. eLCOSH and its sponsors are not responsible for the accuracy of information provided on this web site, nor for its use or misuse.

eLCOSH | CDC | NIOSH | Site Map | Search | Links | Help | Contact Us | Privacy Policy

http://www.cdc.gov/elcosh/docs/d0100/d0 ... ect14.html

The Obama administration is about to invest in a trillion dollar jobs recovery program which could only mean a career for a transient. Essentially, we're going to put a trillion in creating day work.

Another pro open borders sob story. It never is mentioned that illegal aliens (NOT undocumented workers, illegal entrants, unauthorized workers, unauthorized migrants) or a number of other socialist anti-American terms used to cloak the deliberate and conscious decision of millions to violate our laws, borders, sovereignty, use stolen identities to obtain all those jobs and other benefits and have children at taxpayer expense while illegally here who ARE taking those jobs from Americans. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are losing their jobs and subsequently their homes every month including returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans but this useless corrupt waste of space, taxpayer dollars and oxygen congress still cares only about making life more comfortable for those illegally here along with importing millions of additional H and L type visas. They have the unmitigated gall to propose a trillion dollar Ponzi scheme disguised as a stimulus which they claim would put Americans back to work but really would amount to a massive taxpayer subsidized illegal alien jobs and benefits giveaway as illustrated by Obama and his open borders reconquista cabinet's intention of halting all raids, enforcement measures and killing e-verify which would allow employers to hire illegal aliens who also would bring in their immediate and extended family members, friends and neighbors while Americans are struggling to survive. Banks are receiving billions in tax payer bailouts which they are using to provide even more loans to illegal aliens using fraudulent matricula consular cards including help with their mortgages and other benefits (Bank on Mexifornia Ponzi Scheme) while Americans are tossed out on their asses in the streets. The Mexican government, Chamber Of Commerce, Corporate America and Drug Cartel bought, owned and controlled Congress never even questions those bailouts while ignoring the plight of suffering Americans. Why the silence from the lisping he-woman Barney Frank, The cerebrally challenged Nancy Pelosi, and the discount loan customer Chris Dodd? Why is every one of Obama's cabinet nominees embroiled in controversy? Taxpayers are forced to subsidize open borders, hate America and Americans organizations as LaRaza and the ACLU who defend and support illegal alien rapists, murderers, child molesters, identity thieves and other illegal alien criminals.Once again this illustrates Obama's and this Congress' utter lack of respect for our borders, sovereignty, the rule of law, the Constitution and their utter indifference to the plight of suffering Americans.
We have been witness to an utter and complete sham of a so called election fixed by the Mexican government, Chamber of Commerce, Corporate America, the Drug cartels, Al Qaeda, the Taliban, Soros, and the PLO who allegedly contributed 35,000 dollars to the Obama campaign while Americans were in their American Idol, and Survivor induced stupors. We are so far beyond screwed that even just screwed looks good at this juncture.

I've been a Union Construction worker for 33 yrs and have NEVER seen it so BAD as it has been here in NYC for the past 10 years. Major construction sites being manned by IA's everywhere you look. It's so bad Union construction jobs are probably less than 50% now.

They outsourced manufacturing jobs for cheap labor and allowed Illegal Immigration to run rampant so they could have cheap labor for the jobs that can't be done outside the country. My middle class dreams are all but gone.

I've been a Union Construction worker for 33 yrs and have NEVER seen it so BAD as it has been here in NYC for the past 10 years. Major construction sites being manned by IA's everywhere you look. It's so bad Union construction jobs are probably less than 50% now.

Bet you can also say it's definatly NOT the quality of work American workers do either. 10 x's as expensive and the shoddiest work ever.

Originally Posted by Ratbstard

I've been a Union Construction worker for 33 yrs and have NEVER seen it so BAD as it has been here in NYC for the past 10 years. Major construction sites being manned by IA's everywhere you look. It's so bad Union construction jobs are probably less than 50% now.

They outsourced manufacturing jobs for cheap labor and allowed Illegal Immigration to run rampant so they could have cheap labor for the jobs that can't be done outside the country. My middle class dreams are all but gone.

What a crying shame. Many of my family members are/were auto workers and you wouldn't believe the devastation to the rust belt over outsourcing. It's shameful what our towns and neighborhoods have come to because there's no tax base to support them anymore. And then on top of that, they overburden taxpayers to make up the shortfall...those same taxpayers they put out of work or those who are barely hanging on to modest homes with reduced incomes by working 2 or 3 low-paying jobs now. This country is going to hell in a handbasket...and the basket is being carried to hell by big business and politicians...not to mention Americans who buy foreign made cars.

Very few of these so-called foreign workers are legal immigrants. Legal immigrants must have some $$$ to emigrate legally and you can bet they don't come here to work in construction or agriculture. These "foreign-born workers in construction and agriculture are mostly illegal aliens.