Foreign-born workers

Monthly Labor Review, June, 2005

In 2004, there were 21.4 million foreign-born persons in the American labor force, 14.5 percent of the total. From 2002 to 2004, the number of foreign-born labor force participants grew by about 1.2 million and accounted for a little less than half of total labor force growth.

Foreign-born men were more likely to be labor force participants than their native-born counterparts. In contrast, foreign-born women were less likely to be labor force participants than were native-born women. Overall, a little more than two-thirds--67.5 percent--of foreign-born persons 16 years and older were in the labor force in 2004. The labor force participation rate for the native born was 65.7 percent.

In 2004, the largest group of foreign-born workers was employed in management, professional, and related occupations (26.5 percent). This was also the case for native-born workers, with 36.3 percent employed in this occupational category. An additional 22.8 percent of foreign-born workers were employed in service occupations and 18.4 percent were in sales and office occupations, as were 15.2 and 26.7 percent, respectively, of the native-born workers.

Reflecting the downward trend in manufacturing employment as a whole, the proportions both of foreign-born and native-born workers employed in production, transportation, and material moving occupations has declined. In 2000, 20.4 percent of foreign-born and 13.8 percent of native-born workers were employed in these occupations. In 2004, the proportions were 17.5 percent for the foreign born and 12.1 percent for the native born. Find more information in "Labor Force Characteristics of Foreign-born Workers in 2004," News Release USDL 05-834.