new immigration patterns may impact construction industry

More recent immigrants have achieved a higher level of education than immigrants in previous decades, a new report issued by the Washington-based Brookings Institute says.

“When looking at the net gains of 2010-2018 foreign-born adults (age 25 and above), 61 percent were college graduates, compared to 33 percent among the native-born population,” says the report, US Foreign-Born Gains are Smallest in a Decade, Except in Trump States, written by Brookings senior fellow William Frey.

Although arrivals from Mexico continue to make up the largest segment of immigrants, increased numbers in the last few years have also been recorded from Latin America and Asia.

The report additionally indicates that contrary to popular opinion, immigration on average has declined in the last 5 years, from more than 1 million people in 2013-14, to just over 202,000 in 2017-18.

The states where many of the immigrants have located tend to be states that Donald Trump won in the 2016 presidential election, continues the Brookings report, with both Texas and Florida seeing what is defined as a “high concentration” of new arrivals at near 14 percent.

Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico saw what is described as a “medium concentration” of anywhere from 5 to 13.7 percent.

Low concentration states were primarily located in the Deep South and upper Western states of the Dakotas, Montana, and Wyoming.

Because the education level of more recent immigrants has increased, notes the Association of General Contractor’s Data Digest, the U.S. construction industry may “continue to have trouble finding foreign-born craft workers.”

A report issued last year by the National Association of Home Builders noted that immigrant workers made up nearly 25 percent of the overall construction workforce, and an even higher 30 percent in the construction trades.

That report also showed that the construction trades with the highest percentage of immigrant labor included plasterers and stucco masons, drywall installers, carpet and floor installers, brick masons, and both stonemasons and brick masons.

By Garry Boulard

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