Labor
The Center tracks employment trends for Latinos on a regular basis, examining differences by nativity and generation and offering comparisons to other racial and ethnic groups. Assessing employment by region, occupation and industry offers measures for both the status of Latino workers and the U.S. economy's demand for them.
Related Publications
1.21.2010
Statistical Portrait of Hispanics in the United States, 2008
1.21.2010
Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 2008
12.11.2009
Between Two Worlds: How Young Latinos Come of Age in America
5.12.2009
Through Boom and Bust: Minorities, Immigrants and Homeownership
During the housing boom of 1995-2005, the nation's minority groups experienced greater gains than whites in homeownership rates. But in the market meltdown since then, homeownership rates have fallen more steeply for most minorities than for whites. Through both boom and bust, Hispanics and blacks have been far more likely than whites to receive higher-priced loans and carry higher debt relative to their incomes. Meantime, while immigrants have a substantially lower homeownership rate than the native born, they also have experienced a smaller decline in the rate during the market bust. The report also examines how demographic patterns are related to foreclosure rates across the nation's 3,141 counties.
3.5.2009
Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 2007
3.5.2009
Statistical Portrait of Hispanics in the United States, 2007
2.12.2009
Unemployment Rose Sharply Among Latino Immigrants in 2008
The current recession is having an especially severe impact on employment prospects for immigrant Hispanics. The unemployment rate for foreign-born Latinos increased 2.9 percentage points from the fourth quarter of 2007 to the fourth quarter of 2008 compared with an economy-wide increase of 2.0 percentage points. Trends in other key indicators, such as the employment rate, the number employed and labor force participation, also reveal a more severe impact on immigrant Latinos. Native-born Hispanics and blacks have also felt strong negative effects from the recession.
12.15.2008
Latino Workers in the Ongoing Recession: 2007 to 2008
A small but significant decline has occurred during the current recession in the share of Latino immigrants active in the U.S. labor force. The decrease is sharpest among immigrants from Mexico and among immigrants who arrived in the U.S. since 2000. But the increase in the unemployment rate for immigrant Hispanics so far is not as high as the increase for native-born Hispanics. This development, however, could be an artifact, a consequence of the withdrawal of foreign-born Hispanics from the labor force.
10.2.2008
Sharp Decline in Income for Non-Citizen Immigrant Households, 2006-2007
Incomes of non-citizen households--nearly half of which are led by undocumented immigrants--fell 7.3% from 2006 to 2007, in sharp contrast to an increase of 1.3% for all U.S. households. Household incomes of non-citizens who are Hispanic; from Latin America; recently arrived; male; less educated; and employed in construction, production or service occupations fell the most.
6.4.2008
Latino Labor Report, 2008: Construction Reverses Job Growth for Latinos
The latest economic slowdown has had a disproportionate impact on Latino workers. From an historic low in late 2006, the unemployment rate for Latinos rose sharply in 2007 and currently stands well above the rate for non-Latinos. Immigrant Hispanics, especially Mexican and recent arrivals, have been hurt the most by the slump in the construction industry. Weekly earnings for most groups of Hispanic workers also slipped backward last year. There are no signs Latino immigrants are leaving the U.S. labor market but they now play a smaller role in the growth of the Hispanic workforce than in recent years.
1.23.2008
Statistical Portrait of Hispanics in the United States, 2006
1.23.2008
Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 2006
1.23.2008
Arizona: Population and Labor Force Characteristics, 2000-2006
12.13.2007
2007 National Survey of Latinos: As Illegal Immigration Issue Heats Up, Hispanics Feel a Chill
The 2007 National Survey of Latinos finds Hispanics are feeling a range of negative effects from the increased public attention to immigration and stepped up enforcement measures.
12.6.2007
Hispanics and the 2008 Election: A Swing Vote?
This report analyzes Census data and voting trends on a state-by-state basis to explore the potential of Latinos to be a "swing vote" in the 2008 presidential election.
8.21.2007
1995-2005: Foreign-Born Latinos Make Progress on Wages
Foreign-born Latinos, especially the newly arrived, were much less likely to be low-wage earners in 2005 than in 1995. Yet despite progress into the middle of the wage distribution, many foreign-born Latinos remain low-wage earners. Over the same period, foreign-born Asians boosted their presence in the high-wage workforce.
3.7.2007
Construction Jobs Expand for Latinos Despite Slump in Housing Market
9.27.2006
Latino Labor Report 2006: Strong Gains in Employment
The Hispanic unemployment rate reached a historic low in the second quarter of 2006. The gap between the seasonally-adjusted unemployment rates for Latinos and non-Latinos was the smallest since 1973, when employment data on Latinos first became available. Wages for Latino workers also rose at a faster rate than for other workers in 2005-06. The healthy job market for Hispanic workers has been driven by the construction industry. But construction is showing signs of a slowdown that could impact Latino employment in the near future, especially for foreign-born workers.
8.29.2006
A Statistical Portrait of Hispanics at Mid-Decade
8.29.2006
A Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population at Mid-Decade
8.10.2006
Growth in the Foreign-Born Workforce and Employment of the Native Born
Rapid increases in the foreign-born population at the state level are not associated with negative effects on the employment of native-born workers. An analysis of the relationship between growth in the foreign-born population and the employment outcomes of native-born workers revealed wide variations but no consistent pattern across the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The size of the foreign-born workforce, its relative youth and low education level are also unrelated to the employment prospects for native workers. These findings emerge from the analysis of Census Bureau data for the boom years of the 1990s and the subsequent recession and slowdown.
4.13.2006
The Labor Force Status of Short-Term Unauthorized Workers
12.15.2005
The Occupational Status and Mobility of Hispanics
A research report sponsored by the Pew Hispanic Center finds a worsening in the occupational status of Hispanics and a growing gap with respect to whites during the 1990s. That is surprising because the decade was witness to the longest economic expansion in recent U.S. history. But even as unemployment was on the decline for all racial and ethnic groups, structural shifts in employment across industries contributed to a greater division in the occupational status of Hispanics and whites. The occupations in which Hispanics are concentrated rank low in wages, educational requirements and other indicators of socioeconomic status.
Read the research paper
12.6.2005
Survey of Mexican Migrants, Part Three: The Economic Transition to America
This study analyzes the employment experience of migrants before they left Mexico, their transition into the U.S. labor market, and their economic status in their new jobs. It uses the Pew Hispanic Center's Survey of Mexican Migrants, which interviewed 4,836 migrants, mostly believed to be undocumented, as they were applying for identity cards issued by Mexican consulates. The vast majority were gainfully employed before they left for the U.S. Failure to find work at home does not seem to be the primary reason that the estimated 6.3 million undocumented migrants from Mexico have come to the U.S.
5.2.2005
Latino Labor Report, 2004: More Jobs for New Immigrants but at Lower Wages
Hispanics, mostly recently arrived immigrants, accounted for over 1 million of the 2.5 million new jobs created in 2004. But Hispanics are the only major group of workers to have suffered a two-year decline in wages and they now earn 5 percent less than two years ago. The growing supply and concentration of immigrant Latinos in certain occupations suggests that they are competing with each other in the labor market to their own detriment. While non-Hispanics moved into high-skill occupations, the vast majority of new jobs for Hispanic workers were in relatively low-skill occupations calling for little other than a high school education.
10.18.2004
The Wealth of Hispanic Households: 1996 to 2002
According to the study, the median net worth of Hispanic households in 2002 was $7,932. This was only nine percent of $88,651, the median wealth of non-Hispanic White households at the same time. The net worth of Non-Hispanic Blacks was only $5,988. Thus, the wealth of Latino and Black households is less than one-tenth the wealth of White households even though Census data show their income is two-thirds as much.
6.16.2004
Latino Labor Report, First Quarter 2004: Wage Growth Lags Gains in Employment
The "jobless recovery" may have turned around, but gains for Latinos have not been widespread. Immigrant Latinos, especially the most recent arrivals, have captured the most jobs.
2.23.2004
Latino Labor Report, 2003: Strong but Uneven Gains in Employment
Latinos experienced substantial gains in the U.S. labor market in 2003. The number of Hispanics added to the employment rolls was twice as high as in 2002, and unemployment eased downward. For the first time since January 2000, Latinos experienced increases in employment that consistently outpaced their population growth in the United States.
10.7.2003
Jobs Lost, Jobs Gained: The Latino Experience in the Recession and Recovery
6.12.2003
Hispanic Youth Dropping Out of U.S. Schools: Measuring the Challenge
5.28.2002
Work or Study: Different Fortunes of U.S. Latino Generations
3.21.2002
How Many Undocumented: The Numbers Behind The U.S.-Mexico Migration Talks
3.21.2002
Guest Workers: New Solution, New Problem?
1.24.2002
New Lows From New Highs: Latino Economic Losses In The Current Recession
1.24.2002
Hispanics and the Current Economic Downturn: Will The Receding Tide Sink Hispanics?
1.24.2002
The Socioeconomic Status of Hispanic New Yorkers: Current Trends and Future Prospects