Immigrant Employment Gains in New York

Immigrant workers in New York City are more likely to have a job than their U.S.-born counterparts, according to a new analysis by an economic policy group.

Some 8.8% of New York immigrants were unemployed in the first five months of this year, compared with 10.9% of U.S.-born workers in the city, according the Fiscal Policy Institute, a left-leaning economic policy group.

Both groups saw their unemployment rate surge in the recession, but labor experts say that some low-wage service jobs have returned to provide some relief to foreign-born workers in the city.

“In tough economic times, immigrants are more likely to send people into the labor force,” said James Parrott, deputy director of the Fiscal Policy Institute. “They are likely to take the first job that comes along,” he said. Participation in the labor force—the proportion of working-age people who have jobs or are actively looking for one—also favored immigrants. The labor-force participation rate for immigrants in the city was 64.1%, compared with 57.1% for natives.

While industries such as construction and manufacturing still haven’t recovered, immigrants might be finding more opportunity doing odd jobs and in part-time work, said Rakesh Kochhar, associate director for research at the nonpartisan Pew Hispanic Center.

Source:
Immigrant Employment Gains in New York
wsj.com