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The country's recent economic downturn, dubbed The Great Recession, is said to have technically ended in June 2009. Since that time, immigrants have gained jobs: some 656,000 of them, while native born Americans have lost 1.2 million jobs, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, a division of the Pew Research Center. A two-year look at hirings and firings reveals a starker contrast -- and paints an even more bleak picture for native U.S. workers.
Between June 2008 and June 2010, foreign born workers shed 400,000 jobs. At the same time, U.S. born employees lost 5.7 million jobs. Overall, foreign-born workers now make up about 16% of the U.S. workforce, demonstrating the extent to which they've made recent employment gains. The Pew Center's findings are based on an analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Labor Department.
A variety of reasons could explain this foreign-born hiring phenomena now underway. For starters, many immigrants may be willing to take on certain jobs that Americans don't want. Additionally, various immigrant populations may be more willing than their American counterparts to accept lower-paying jobs. Indeed, from 2009 to 2010, salaries for foreign-born employees declined by 4.5%. At the same time, compensation for U.S. born workers dropped by less than 1%. Whatever the reason for the strong gains in immigrant hiring, and the simultaneous loss of jobs among American born employees, this situation is sure to add some fuel to the national debate over immigration.
The Pew study didn't indicate whether the immigrants securing jobs were legal or illegal workers. While the issue of undocumented workers is a hotly debated topic, a more telling question to ask might be: Are these people getting hired because they are generally outperforming, better educated or more skilled than American-born job seekers? I don't know the answer to that question. But I do know this. American politicians, educators, business executives and others have spent much of the past decade talking about the need to step up our knowledge and skill set in order to better compete in the global marketplace. Now it appears, at least in part, that American workers also need to step it up just to compete economically here at home.
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Have you noticed any recent shifts in hiring patterns at your place of employment? Are more U.S. born workers landing jobs or are more immigrants being hired?
Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, an award-winning financial news journalist and former Wall Street Journal reporter for CNBC, has been featured in the Washington Post, USA Today, and the New York Times, as well as magazines ranging from Essence and Redbook to Black Enterprise and Smart Money. Check out her New York Times best seller 'Zero Debt: The Ultimate Guide to Financial Freedom.'
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By: ooozzzzz on 11/01/2010 1:42PM
Quote: "demonstrating the extent to which they've made recent employment gains....and to add, what they are willing to do to find a job".
These manual labor intensive jobs are the very ones that Americans bitch and moan about the Mexicans doing, the "hard labor" type jobs that everyday Americans, looking for work during this recession, refuse and won't go out and do eventhough they don't have a job and haven't had one in months or years...a job is a job and these are paying jobs but American pride, laziness, the fear of gettin' their hands dirty an the "this job is way beneath me" won't allow them to do it.
Manual labor: Pick lettuce, strawberries, cucumbers, onions, tobacco, potatoes, cotton, oranges, apples, grapes, construction, lawn/home care etc ...oh hell no...no Americans (especially the young) are going to get dirty, sweaty, nasty, out in the hot sun or rain, their hair all messed up, get their hands, feet, nails dirty (or even run the risk of breaking a nail) while bending their backs to harvest those crops and live with the stigma of having to do these types of jobs while they are really afraid of plain'ole hard work; being judged, talked about, laughed at and critized by their friends and family so articles like this are complete and utter bullshyt because it offers no solutions to the balloning job crisis in this country since Americans are too goddam lazy, sorry and triflin' to do the work and who rather push back via protests to send the illegial aliens back to Mexico who would not even be here en masse if Americans chose to do those jobs.
If Americans who love to protest, protested Washington, the politicans, the corporations and small business to provide a proper wage along with full benefits for those labor entensive jobs and rightfully/forcefully fine the business owners who violate the rules by hiring illegial aliens, the very same way they they protest everything else, then those "now labor ready" jobs would be readily available for employment to all Americans looking for work...but the question remains...will Americans who desperately need jobs, do them or continue to stay on full govermnent assistance until they in their minds, "find a real job?"
And that includes all Americans of all races in this country, especially the White folk since they are the one mainly doin' the bitchin in regards to this issue.
I seriously doubt it....Americans are too much of two-faced hyprocrits.
Bitch and moan about work. Work in the fields all across America are staring them directly in the face but American laziness, ego and pride won't let you yet they complain about the illegials and while they prosper and provide for their families, Americans remain broke and in going deeper into debt.
Complainin' all the time about bills, no money to shop at the mall (ladies), can't afford to "upgrade" the bling bling, can't keep up with your bills...the fields are waiting........
It seems that the old saying "you gotta do what you gotta do" doesn't really apply to Americans in this particuliar case, doesn't it?
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By: bestausweh on 11/02/2010 11:55PM
I guess you are right. Americans are too lazy to do manual labor and jobs No body else wants". Thats why Black people were brought to this country to work as slaves.
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By: Pink on 11/01/2010 2:58PM
I think a lot of it has to due with the type of jobs they are accepting which in some cases(tend to be lower paying jobs). Also, generally speaking Latinos stick together and help each other out. I know in South Florida when they get on a job they bring on their mother, brother, sister, and any distant cousins that may need a job. Generally speaking african americans don't tend to help each other out in this way.
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By: Sue on 11/01/2010 3:27PM
This article is so poorly written I don't know where to begin. First, do you mean legal or illegal immigrants. There's a vast difference between the two. Generally speaking, legal immigrants tend to be more (sometimes better than Americans) educated and therefore will take higher paying jobs. While illegals tend to get low-skilled, below minimum wage jobs....so which type of immigrants/jobs do you mean? And can we cut the crap and just admit that for a lot of immigrants..$5 per hour is still ten times more pay than most would get in their home countries. So until you can cite more specific, credible numbers, please stop clouding reality with vague statistcis.
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By: Sweetneke on 11/01/2010 3:16PM
Bottomline undocumented labors cheaper wages no hospitalization no workers comp just like in china CHEAT ASS LABOR AND JUST LIKE CHINA THERE IS NO WAY MIDDLE CLASS AMERICANS CAN COMPLETE
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By: westfall on 11/01/2010 3:37PM
You are sad mistaken if you think that foreign born workers are getting jobs that no one else wants. Children of other races than Hispanic can hardly find summer jobs. Know why? Because hispanics have glutted these jobs and shut everybody else. When you have a hispanic manager hiring nothing but hispanics this is what you get. My son had a mexican friend who put in a word for him. That is the only way any other race gets in in these low paying jobs. Don't sit here and say that Americans don't want the jobs these people do. truck drivers, gardners, construction workers? And black people who hire non americans need to be ashamed. when did you ever go into a mexican restaurant and find a black chef? Or waitress? But so and so's soul food kitchen or barbeque place is full of everything but black.
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By: Brady on 11/01/2010 4:13PM
ooozzzzz simply narrows the conversation to make his point. The reality is Americans stopped doing those jobs decades ago during the dust bowl era, and rightfully so. So farm labor is a job they have had for decades.
The problem is as you say "hispanics have glutted these jobs and shut everybody else out" For example the service industry was once dominated by Black Folk, and "WE WANTED THOSE JOBS", now the census data paints a different picture.
But lets be fair,you cant blame them for doing what we will not. They get a job and stick with it, and bring in their own. I can't say Im mad at them. If you dont own, you dont make the rules.
They are not making the mistakes we have and continue to make. They have learned, and are econimically progessing as we have stagnated or even declined.
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By: ooozzzzz on 11/01/2010 4:32PM
westfall, you mention everything except those labor entensive mnual labor field jobs that Americans don't want.... a legal job is still a job, isn't it?
Thise jobs are available for American children to work in and Hispanics don't own those fields that they work in, American corporations do and if American kids were to go out there and seek this type of employment, then they would get hired.
There is no "worker requirement quota" in the harvesting fields.
Mexican restaurants? Asian restaurants? They hire Americans too but of course they take care of their own (unlike as you mentioned, many Americans don't) hire their own in order to maintain control, consistancy and the actual authenticity of their foods but then again if kids had a "can do" attitude instead of playing video games, on the cell phones and chatting on Facebook/Twitter everyday, were proactive, aggressive and did what your child did and inquire for the job (with the help of a friend or not), then chances are they will be hired.
And as for American adults, the majority are not going to do those jobs, it's just that plain and simple... and the fact that illegial Mexicans or legal Mexicans have glutted those jobs and shut everybody else out is where the main emphasis and concentration of Americans who protest should be focused on...ensuring that the people and those businesses/corporation that are breaking the rules by hire illegials are being identified and targeted for illegial hiring practices, heavily fined and ordered to restructure their hire/pay requirements (with fair market wages and full benefits) so that Americans can perform those jobs and the illegials, knowing that there is no work here in the U.S. because of the changes, will be the ones pushed out, not come here and let the country of Mexico solves their own problems with high employment since in this entire situation and national debate, the country of Mexico rarely gets mentioned and continues to gets a free pass from the goverment in regards to their unemployment situation and they continue to encourage illegials to come here, work and send money back to Mexico in order to take care of their families and boost their economy while America struggles with all that lost American money and tax revenue, which is in the multi-billions, annually.
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By: westfall on 11/01/2010 5:26PM
0007777...you are so right on about Americans not complaining. these are unfair hiring practices. I have heard two stories from friends...one who was hired then her life made no uncomfortable at the job. She hung on but was eventually let go because she didn't "fit in." (exact words.) She has filed a complaint. I have personally monitored the fast food restaurants in my neighborhood and written letters to administrative offices. It is not right that the community that these junk food palaces are serving is not represented in the workforce. Mexico's economy must be getting a large boost from the money that is being channeled to them from illegal American work. Farm workers have always either been itinerants, drunks, and illegal mexicans. I am talking about jobs that Americans used to do. You cannot tell me that most American men if qualified don't want to do construction, or drive trucks, or landscape. And when the docks in California were hiring by lotto, the hispanics working there pulled out all the American surnamed postcards and drew only hispanic surnames. I was told that first hand. I am a retired professional and never had this problem, but I feel deeply for our young people who will soon not have a future, not just because of foreign born workers, but also to outsourcing and overpopulation. And by the way, I have NEVER seen an American working in an Asian restaurant. I have seen other races in Mexican restaurants that were owned by Americans.
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By: bestausweh on 11/03/2010 12:07AM
That's why Slaves were brought to America for the same reason except they worked for free. American workers don't fit in because they know more about their rights. Just having a knowledge about your rights will cause you not to "fit in".
You don't see Black people working in Asian businesses in black neighborhoods either. But when we spoke up about it we were called racists and then a propaganda was put out about how much more hard working and deserving (fill in the blank with nationality, illegal, or race other than Black American) were compared to the Black people. All are doomed now that there are more black republicans in the white house doing the same job a black overseer did in slavery. I agree this is a form of 21st Century Slavery. That how blacks learned how not to trust each other/
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