Jobs Americans Wont Do?
A Detailed Look at Immigrant Employment by OccupationBy Steven A. Camarota, Karen Jensenius
August 2009
This analysis tests the often-made argument that immigrants only do jobs Americans dont want. If the argument is correct, there should be
occupations comprised entirely or almost entirely of immigrants. But Census Bureau data collected from 2005 to 2007, which allow for very detailed analysis, show that even before the recession there were only
a tiny number of majority-immigrant occupations. (Click here to see detailed table.)
Among the findings:
Of the 465 civilian occupations,
only four are majority immigrant. These four occupations account for less than 1 percent of the total U.S. workforce. Moreover,
native-born Americans comprise 47 percent of workers in these occupations.
Many jobs often thought to be overwhelmingly immigrant are in fact majority native-born:
◦Maids and housekeepers: 55 percent native-born
◦Taxi drivers and chauffeurs: 58 percent native-born
◦Butchers and meat processors: 63 percent native-born
◦Grounds maintenance workers: 65 percent native-born
◦Construction laborers: 65 percent native-born
◦Porters, bellhops, and concierges: 71 percent native-born
◦Janitors: 75 percent native-born
Jobs Americans Won?t Do? A Detailed Look at Immigrant Employment by Occupation | Center for Immigration Studies