Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees - GCIR

This section of the toolkit includes general facts about immigrants in the U.S. economy supported by historical empirical data and developing trends in the economy.

Immigrants are a significant, increasing percentage of the U.S. labor force growth.^[source]

• Immigrants constituted more than 50 percent of the overall growth in the labor force in the last decade.
• Between 1994 and 2004, the native-born labor force grew by 7 percent (118 million to 126 million), while the immigrant labor force grew by 66 percent (12.9 million to 21.4 million).
• Between 2000 and 2050, new immigrants and their children will account for 83 percent of the growth in the working-age population and 60 percent of total U.S. population growth.

Immigrants will fill workforce gaps created by aging native-born workers.

• By 2030, the percentage of the U.S. population over 65 will more than double, from over 12 to almost 20 percent, while the working-age and child population will shrink by 8 percent.^[source]
• Eighty percent of immigrants are working age, compared to 60 percent of the native-born.^[source]

Immigrants bring skills that meet the needs of the U.S. "hour-glass" economy, filling jobs at the high and low ends of the labor market.

• In 2000, the foreign-born accounted for 38 percent of scientists and engineers with doctorates and 29 percent of those with master's degrees.^[source]
• Among computer scientists and mathematicians, half of all doctorate holders and one-third of master's degree holders were foreign-born.^[source]
• From 1996 to 2002, the foreign-born constituted 27 percent of the growth in doctors, scientists, and teachers.^[source]
• Immigrants from countries outside of Mexico and Central America are more likely to have completed college or graduate school (43 percent) than native-born workers (32 percent).^[source]
• The foreign-born in lower-skilled occupations include:^[source]
  • 41 percent of workers in farming, fishing, and forestry.
  • 33 percent of building and maintenance workers.
  • 22 percent of workers in food preparation/serving and construction/ mining.
• Immigrants from Mexico or Central America are more likely than native-born workers to have less than a high school education (59 percent versus 6 percent).^[source]
• Nearly half of all immigrant workers earn less than 200 percent of the minimum wage, compared to one-third of native workers. The average low-wage immigrant worker earned $14,400 in 2001.^[source]
• From 2004 to 2014, the greatest growth in U.S. jobs, in both numbers and percentage, will be at the upper and lower ends of the workforce. Professional occupations will gain 6 million jobs, representing a 21 percent increase. Service jobs will increase by 5.2 million, or 19 percent.^[source]

Immigration is stimulating growth in Asian-American and Latino businesses and buying power.

• Between 1997 and 2002, the number of Asian-American businesses grew 24 percent, and Latino businesses grew 31 percent, compared to 10 percent growth for all U.S. firms.^[source]
• Between 1990 and 2009, both Asian-American and Latino buying power will grow 347 percent, compared to a 158 percent increase in total U.S. buying power.^[source]
• By 2009, Asian-Americans and Latinos are projected to total 20 percent of the population and command almost 14 percent of U.S. buying power.^[source]