Latino Jobs Growth Driven by U.S. Born

Less Hispanic immigrants attributed to change Immigrants No Longer the Majority of Hispanic Workers 
 

WASHINGTON D.C. -- For the first time in nearly two decades, immigrants do not account for the majority of Hispanic workers in the United States, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of government data. In 2013, 49.7% of the more than 22 million employed Latinos were immigrants. This share was down sharply from the pre-recession peak of 56.1% in 2007.

Meanwhile, most of the job gains made by Hispanics during the economic recovery have gone to U.S.-born workers. Although Latinos have gained 2.8 million jobs since the recession ended in 2009, only 453,000 of those went to immigrants. This development is mostly due to the waning inflow of Hispanic immigrants.

Latinos overall have more than made up for the jobs they lost during the recession in terms of numbers, though not necessarily in the share that are employed. That is because jobs growth for Hispanics is just keeping pace with the growth in their working-age population.

The report, based on a Pew Research Center analysis of the Current Population Survey, examines employment, unemployment and earnings among Hispanics and non-Hispanics, both U.S. born and foreign born, as well as the sources of jobs growth by industry.