The Foreign Born in the U.S. Labor Force: Numbers and Trends

This report examines foreign-born participation in the United States’ labor market. It provides information and charts relating to the number and share of immigrant workers in the total civilian labor force and their employment rates.

The report finds that share of foreign-born workers in the total civilian labor force increased from 9 percent in 1990 to 14 percent by 2002. During this time, the number of non-citizens in the labor force increased at a faster rate than the number of foreign-born naturalized citizens. Approximately two-thirds of all foreign-born workers are non-citizens, while the remaining third are naturalized citizens.

Additional findings suggest that non-citizens are more likely to be unemployed than both naturalized citizens and natives.