Technical information:  (202) 691-6378     USDL 09-0303
               http://www.bls.gov/cps/
                                           For release:  10:00 A.M. (EDT)
Media contact:          (202) 691-5902     Thursday, March 26, 2009
                                   
                                   
       FOREIGN-BORN WORKERS:  LABOR FORCE CHARACTERISTICS IN 2008


   In 2008, 24.1 million persons, or 15.6 percent of the U.S. civilian 
labor force age 16 and over, were foreign born, the Bureau of Labor Statis-
tics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.  The unemployment rate 
for the foreign born was 5.8 percent in 2008, up from 4.3 percent in 2007.  
The jobless rate of the native born also increased to 5.8 percent in 2008; 
it was 4.7 percent in the prior year.

   This news release compares the labor force characteristics of the for-
eign born with those of their native-born counterparts.  The data on na-
tivity are collected as part of the Current Population Survey (CPS), a 
monthly sample survey of approximately 60,000 households.  The foreign born 
are persons who reside in the United States but who were born outside the 
country or one of its outlying areas to parents who were not U.S. citizens.  
The foreign born include legally-admitted immigrants, refugees, temporary 
residents such as students and temporary workers, and undocumented immi-
grants.  The survey data, however, do not separately identify the numbers 
of persons in these categories.  For further information about the survey, 
see the Technical Note.

Demographic Characteristics

   The demographic characteristics of the foreign-born labor force differ 
from those of the native born.  In 2008, men made up a larger proportion 
of the foreign-born labor force (59.8 percent) than they did of the native-
born (52.3 percent) labor force.  Also, a higher proportion of the foreign-
born than the native-born labor force was made up of 25- to 54-year-olds 
(76.6 and 66.0 percent, respectively); labor force participation is typi-
cally highest among persons in that age group.  (See table 1.)

   In 2008, Hispanics comprised 49.4 percent of the foreign-born labor 
force compared with 7.8 percent of the native-born labor force.  Asians 
made up 22.4 percent of the foreign-born labor force compared with 1.3 per-
cent of the native-born labor force.  (Data in this release for persons 
who are white, black, or Asian do not include those of Hispanic or Latino 
ethnicity.  Data on persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity are presented 
separately.)

   In terms of educational attainment, 26.4 percent of the foreign-born 
labor force 25 years old and over had not completed high school in 2008, 
compared with 5.8 percent of the native-born labor force.  Similar propor-
tions of foreign-born and native-born persons in the labor force had a 
bachelor's or higher degree (31.7 and 34.6 percent, respectively).  
Foreign-born workers were less likely than native-born workers to have 
some college or an associate degree.


                                   - 2 -

Labor Force and Unemployment

   In 2008, 68.1 percent of the foreign born were in the labor force,
0.4 percentage point lower than in 2007.  The labor force participa-
tion rate of the native-born workers held steady at 65.6 percent in 2008.  
Both the number of foreign-born labor force participants (24.1 million) 
and their share of the U.S. civilian labor force (15.6 percent) were 
little changed from 2007 to 2008.  (See table 1.)

   The labor force participation rate of foreign-born men was 81.4 per-
cent, compared with 71.4 percent for native-born men in 2008.  In contrast, 
54.8 percent of foreign-born women were labor force participants, compared 
with 60.3 percent of native-born women.

   Among the major race and ethnicity groups, labor force participation 
rates of foreign-born whites (60.3 percent) and Hispanics (70.7 percent) 
were down over the year.  The rates for foreign-born blacks (73.2 percent) 
and Asians (68.2 percent) showed little change in 2008.  Among the native 
born, labor force participation rates for all the major groups were about 
unchanged over the year.

   Foreign-born mothers with children under age 18 were less likely to be 
labor force participants than native-born mothers--60.7 versus 74.1 per-
cent.  Among women with children under age 3, the participation rate for 
the foreign born was 44.6 percent, while that for the native born was 64.5 
percent.  The labor force participation rate of both foreign- and native-
born fathers with children under age 18 was about 94 percent in 2008.  (See 
table 2.)

   The over-the-year increase in the unemployment rate of foreign-born 
workers--from 4.3 percent in 2007 to 5.8 percent in 2008--reflected in-
creases in the rates for both men and women.  The unemployment rate for 
foreign-born men rose from 4.1 to 5.7 percent, and the rate for foreign-
born women was up from 4.6 to 6.0 percent.  Among the native born, the 
unemployment rate increased from 4.7 to 5.8 percent over the year.  The 
rate for men rose from 4.9 to 6.2 percent, while the rate for women was 
up from 4.5 to 5.3 percent in 2008.  (See table 1.)

   By region, the foreign born made up a larger share of the total labor 
force in the West (24.1 percent) and in the Northeast (17.9 percent) than 
for the nation as a whole (15.6 percent).  In contrast, the shares of the 
labor force made up by foreign-born workers in the South (13.8 percent) 
and Midwest (7.8 percent) were less than for the nation.  (See table 6.)

Occupation

   In 2008, foreign-born workers were more likely than their native-born 
counterparts to be employed in service occupations (23.2 versus 15.6 per-
cent); in production, transportation, and material moving occupations 
(16.4 versus 11.5 percent); and in natural resources, construction, and 
maintenance occupations (15.1 versus 9.3 percent).  In contrast, native-
born workers were more likely than foreign-born workers to be employed in 
management, professional, and related occupations--37.8 versus 28.2 percent.
(See table 4.)


                                   - 3 -

   Foreign-born men were more likely than native-born men to be employed 
in service occupations; natural resources, construction, and maintenance 
occupations; and production, transportation, and material moving occupa-
tions.  Compared with native-born women, foreign-born women were more 
likely to be employed in service occupations and in production, transpor-
tation, and material moving occupations.

Earnings

   In 2008, the median usual weekly earnings of foreign-born full-time 
wage and salary workers were $595, compared with $744 for the native born.  
Among men, median earnings were $613 per week for the foreign born, com-
pared with $842 for the native born; the median for foreign-born women 
was $557, compared with $651 for the native born. (See table 5.)

   As with the native born, the earnings of foreign-born workers increased 
with education.  Foreign-born workers age 25 and over with less than a high 
school education earned $417 per week in 2008, while those with bachelor's 
degrees and higher earned about 2.6 times as much--$1,092 a week. 

   The gap between the earnings of foreign-born and native-born workers 
narrows with higher levels of education.  For example, among those with 
less than a high school diploma, full-time workers who were foreign born 
earned 84.6 percent as much as their native-born counterparts.  Among those 
with a bachelor's degree and higher, foreign born workers earned almost as 
much (97.6 percent) as native-born workers.