August 16, 2002 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Foreign-born workers and labor force growth at end of 20th century

The foreign born played an important role in the 1996–2000 labor force expansion. During this period, foreign-born workers made up nearly half of the total labor force increase of 6.7 million.

[Chart data—TXT]

Foreign-born workers accounted for almost two-thirds of the increase in the number of men in the labor force, and for more than a third of the increase in the number of women.

The foreign born accounted for very large shares of the overall labor force increase among Asians and Hispanics. About 83 percent of the increase among Asians and 64.7 percent of the increase among Hispanics were foreign born. The corresponding proportions for blacks and whites were 28.4 percent and 27.9 percent, respectively.

These data are a product of the Current Population Survey. Find out more in "The role of foreign-born workers in the U.S. economy," by Abraham T. Mosisa, Monthly Labor Review, May 2002.