Immigrants play a very important role in America’s workforce, filling tens of thousands of jobs. Throughout U.S. history, they have always had a big impact on the economy, and that continues to be true today.
So, let’s take a look at the breakdown of native workers and various immigrant workers:
- Undocumented immigrant workers: 5%
- Authorized immigrant workers: 12.1%
- Native-born American workers: 82.9%
If you’re wondering what types of jobs these immigrants tend to take, it does differ a bit from one area to the next. General trends, however, show that they often work in:
- Manufacturing
- Construction
- Administrative services
- Laundry services
- Computer products
- Food manufacturing
- Accommodation industries
- Agriculture
- Textile manufacturing
- Private households
The types of jobs these immigrants do also vary greatly, as you can see from this list. These general categories just scratch the surface of the industries to which immigrants contribute.
For instance, within the construction industry, you are going to have skilled laborers, roofers, electricians, plumbers, general contractors, HVAC installers, carpenters, masons, drywall professionals, painters and much more. Many of these are specialized skills that, though they all impact construction, do not really overlap otherwise. The number of unique skills needed is enormous, and immigrants help to provide them on a regular basis.
Those who plan to come to the United States for work are already well aware of these job opportunities, in many cases. What they really need to know is how to capitalize on them and use their skills to fill the need. They must understand how to immigrate quickly and efficiently so that they can get this new career off the ground.