Randy Capps Karina Fortuny The Urban Institute “The Contributions of Immigrant Workers to the Economy” Governor’s Workforce Investment Board Quarterly Meeting Arnold, MD, September 17, 2008 The Integration of Immigrants and Their Families in Maryland

THE URBAN INSTITUTE / Washington, D.C. Today’s Presentation Trends in Maryland’s immigrant workforce Distribution of workers across Maryland Characteristics of immigrant workers Industries, occupations, and earnings of immigrant workers Conclusions and policy recommendations

THE URBAN INSTITUTE / Washington, D.C. (U.S. Census, 2000 & American Community Survey, 2005 & 2006) Note: a. Low-wage workers earned less than twice the minimum wage in 1999 or in 2004–05. Self-employed workers are excluded from this tabulation. b. Lower-skilled workers have less than a high school education. Foreign-Born Shares of the Total Population, All Workers, Low-Wage Workers, and Lower-Skilled Workers, Maryland, 2000 and

THE URBAN INSTITUTE / Washington, D.C. Growth of Maryland Labor Force, Age 18 to 64, by Nativity and Educational Attainment, 2000 to (U.S. Census, 2000 & American Community Survey, 2005 & 2006)

THE URBAN INSTITUTE / Washington, D.C. Labor Force Participation Is Increasing for Both Immigrants and Natives in Almost All Racial, Ethnic, and Socioeconomic Groups Immigrants’ participation up: 75% to 80% Natives: slight change from 79% to 80% Foreign-born Hispanics: large increase from 70% to 81% African Americans: also large increase from 73% to 78% Native-born high school dropouts: slight increase from 58% to 60%

THE URBAN INSTITUTE / Washington, D.C. Foreign-born Workers Living in Maryland, by County, (American Community Survey, 2005 & 2006)

THE URBAN INSTITUTE / Washington, D.C. Growth Rates, Foreign-Born Workers, by County/County Group, Maryland, 2000 to (U.S. Census, 2000 & American Community Survey, 2005 & 2006) Note: "Eastern Shore" includes Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne's, Talbot, Caroline, Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset, and Worchester counties.

THE URBAN INSTITUTE / Washington, D.C. Regions of Birth of Foreign-Born Workers in Maryland, (American Community Survey, 2005 & 2006)

THE URBAN INSTITUTE / Washington, D.C. Educational Attainment of Foreign- Born versus Native-Born Workers, Maryland, (American Community Survey, 2005 & 2006)

THE URBAN INSTITUTE / Washington, D.C. Shares of Foreign-Born Workers in Maryland with Four-Year College Degrees or More Education, by Region of Birth, (American Community Survey, 2005 & 2006)

THE URBAN INSTITUTE / Washington, D.C. Shares of Foreign-Born Workers in Maryland with Less than High School Educations, by Region of Birth, (American Community Survey, 2005 & 2006)

THE URBAN INSTITUTE / Washington, D.C. Limited English Proficient Shares of Foreign-Born Workers in Maryland, by Region of Birth, (American Community Survey, 2005 & 2006)

THE URBAN INSTITUTE / Washington, D.C. Bilingual Shares of Foreign-Born Workers in Maryland, by Region of Birth, (American Community Survey, 2005 & 2006)

THE URBAN INSTITUTE / Washington, D.C. Share of Foreign-Born Workers in Maryland That Are Naturalized Citizens, by Region of Birth, (American Community Survey, 2005 & 2006)

THE URBAN INSTITUTE / Washington, D.C. Maryland Industries with Highest Immigrant Worker Shares, (American Community Survey, 2005 & 2006)

THE URBAN INSTITUTE / Washington, D.C. Maryland Occupations with Highest Immigrant Worker Shares, (American Community Survey, 2005 & 2006)

THE URBAN INSTITUTE / Washington, D.C. Share of Immigrants Age 25 and Older with College or Professional Degrees Earned Abroad Employed in Unskilled Occupations, by U.S. Tenure, (Migration Policy Institute Analysis of American Community Survey, 2005 & 2006) (Note: "Europe" refers to Europe, Canada, and Oceania. * The shares of immigrants from Europe regardless of tenure are not statistically different from that of native workers. ** The share of immigrants from Asia, 11 years or more in the U.S., are also not statistically different from that of native workers. )

THE URBAN INSTITUTE / Washington, D.C. Median Personal Earnings of Foreign- versus Native-Born Maryland Workers, by Educational Attainment, (American Community Survey, 2005 & 2006)

THE URBAN INSTITUTE / Washington, D.C. Median Personal Earnings of English- Proficient versus Limited English Proficient Immigrant Workers in Maryland, by Educational Attainment, (American Community Survey, 2005 & 2006)

THE URBAN INSTITUTE / Washington, D.C. Median Personal Earnings of Recent versus Long-term Immigrant Workers in Maryland, by Educational Attainment, (American Community Survey, 2005 & 2006)

THE URBAN INSTITUTE / Washington, D.C. Conclusions Immigrant workforce is growing, without affecting natives’ labor force participation Immigrant workforce is diverse and better educated than nationally But a significant share of immigrant workers are lower-skilled and LEP Immigrants are overrepresented in high- and low-skilled occupations Immigrant earnings increase with education, English, and tenure

THE URBAN INSTITUTE / Washington, D.C. Policy Recommendations Adult education and job training for both immigrant and native-born workers Immigrants with lower educational attainment also need ESL Assistance with U.S. credentials for immigrants with degrees abroad Assistance with U.S. citizenship 114,000 eligible to naturalize 61,000 soon to be eligible (Passel, 2007)