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Economic News Release
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Labor Force Characteristics of Foreign-born Workers Summary

For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Thursday, May 18, 2023                                  USDL-23-1013

Technical information:  (202) 691-6378  *  cpsinfo@bls.gov  *  www.bls.gov/cps 
Media contact:          (202) 691-5902  *  PressOffice@bls.gov 


               FOREIGN-BORN WORKERS: LABOR FORCE CHARACTERISTICS -- 2022


The unemployment rate for foreign-born persons in the United States was 3.4 percent in 2022,
down from 5.6 percent in 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The jobless
rate of native-born persons declined to 3.7 percent in 2022 from 5.3 percent in 2021. Both
measures are down considerably from their highs in 2020. However, the jobless rate for the 
foreign born remains above its level of 3.1 percent prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19)
pandemic in 2019, while the rate for the native born is little changed from its pre-pandemic
level of 3.8 percent.

Data on nativity are collected as part of the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly
sample survey of approximately 60,000 households. The foreign born are persons who reside
in the United States but who were not U.S. citizens at birth. Specifically, they were born
outside the United States (or one of its outlying areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam), and 
neither parent was a U.S. citizen. The foreign born include legally-admitted immigrants,
refugees, temporary residents such as students and temporary workers, and undocumented
immigrants. However, the survey does not separately identify persons in these categories.
For further information about the survey, see the Technical Note in this news release.

Highlights from the 2022 data:

 --In 2022, the foreign born accounted for 18.1 percent of the U.S. civilian labor force,
   up from 17.4 percent in 2021. (See table 1.)

 --From 2021 to 2022, the unemployment rate of the foreign born declined from 5.6 percent
   to 3.4 percent, and the jobless rate for the native born decreased from 5.3 percent to
   3.7 percent. (See table 1.)
 
 --Hispanics continued to account for nearly one-half of the foreign-born labor force in 2022,
   and Asians accounted for one-quarter. (See table 1.) (Data in this news release for persons
   who are White, Black, or Asian do not include those of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. Data
   on persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity are presented separately.)

 --Foreign-born men continued to participate in the labor force at a considerably higher rate
   in 2022 (77.4 percent) than their native-born counterparts (66.0 percent). By contrast, 
   55.0 percent of foreign-born women were labor force participants, lower than the
   participation rate of 57.2 percent for native-born women. (See table 1.)

 --In 2022, foreign-born workers were more likely than native-born workers to be employed in
   service occupations; natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations; and
   production, transportation, and material moving occupations. Foreign-born workers were
   less likely than native-born workers to be employed in management, professional, and 
   related occupations and in sales and office occupations. (See table 4.)

 --The median usual weekly earnings of foreign-born full-time wage and salary workers were
   $945 in 2022, compared with $1,087 for their native-born counterparts. (See table 5.)
   (Differences in earnings reflect a variety of factors, including variations in the
   distributions of foreign-born and native-born workers by educational attainment, occupation, 
   industry, and geographic region.) 

Demographic Characteristics

The demographic composition of the foreign-born labor force differs from that of the native-born
labor force. In 2022, men accounted for 57.2 percent of the foreign-born labor force, compared
with 52.3 percent of the native-born labor force. By age, the proportion of the foreign-born
labor force made up of 25- to 54-year-olds (71.1 percent) was higher than for the native-born
labor force (62.2 percent). Labor force participation is typically highest among persons in
that age bracket. (See table 1.)

In 2022, nearly one-half (47.6 percent) of the foreign-born labor force was Hispanic, and 
one-quarter (24.7 percent) was Asian. Hispanics and Asians made up much lower percentages of
the native-born labor force, at 12.2 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively. About 16.0 percent
of the foreign-born labor force was White and 10.4 percent was Black, compared with 69.9 percent
and 12.4 percent, respectively, of the native-born labor force.

In terms of educational attainment, the proportion of the foreign-born labor force age 25 and 
over that had not completed high school was 18.3 percent in 2022, much higher than the figure
for the native-born labor force, at 3.4 percent. The foreign born were less likely than the 
native born to have some college or an associate degree--15.5 percent versus 27.2 percent. The
proportions of foreign-born and native-born high school graduates (25.5 percent versus 25.0
percent) and those with a bachelor's degree or higher (40.7 percent versus 44.5 percent) were
more similar.

Labor Force

In 2022, the foreign born accounted for 18.1 percent of the U.S. civilian labor force, up from
17.4 percent in 2021. In 2022, the labor force participation rate of the foreign born increased
to 65.9 percent. The rate for foreign-born men changed little at 77.4 percent, while the rate
for foreign-born women increased to 55.0 percent. The labor force participation rate of the
native born changed little at 61.5 percent. The rate for native-born men was little changed
at 66.0 percent, while the rate for native-born women increased to 57.2 percent. (See table 1.)

Labor force participation rates for the foreign born varied across the major race and ethnicity
groups in 2022, ranging from 60.2 percent for foreign-born Whites to 72.7 percent for foreign-born
Blacks. Participation rates for the native born showed less variation across major race and 
ethnicity groups, ranging from 60.5 percent for native-born Blacks to 65.4 percent for native-born
Hispanics.

Among the major race and ethnicity groups, the labor force participation rate of foreign-born
Blacks and Hispanics increased to 72.7 percent and 67.3 percent, respectively, from 2021 to 2022.
The rates for foreign-born Whites and Asians showed little or no change over the year. Among
the native born, the participation rate of Blacks and Asians increased to 60.5 percent and to
63.9 percent, respectively. The rate for native-born Hispanics changed little from 2021 to 2022.
After adjusting for population controls, the participation rate for native-born Whites declined
from 2021 to 2022.

In 2022, foreign-born mothers with children under age 18 were less likely to be labor force 
participants than native-born mothers--63.0 percent versus 76.0 percent. Labor force participation
differences between foreign-born and native-born mothers were greater among those with younger
children than among those with older children. Among women with children under age 3, the
participation rate for foreign-born mothers was 52.7 percent, 16.2 percentage points below that
for native-born mothers, at 68.9 percent. By comparison, the labor force participation rate of
foreign-born mothers with children ages 6 to 17 (68.2 percent) was 11.3 percentage points lower
than that for native-born mothers with children ages 6 to 17 (79.5 percent). The labor force
participation rates of foreign-born and native-born fathers with children under age 18 were more
similar, at 93.4 percent and 92.7 percent, respectively. (See table 2.)

By region, the foreign born made up a larger share of the labor force in the West
(23.5 percent) and in the Northeast (21.6 percent) in 2022 than for the nation as a whole (18.1
percent). The foreign born made up a smaller share of the labor force than for the nation as
a whole in the South (17.5 percent) and the Midwest (10.2 percent). (See table 6.) 

Employment

In 2022, the employment population ratio of the foreign born increased to 63.6 percent. The 
rates for foreign-born men and women increased to 74.9 percent and 53.0 percent, respectively.
The employment population ratio of the native born rose to 59.2 percent. The population ratios
for native-born men and women increased to 63.5 percent and 55.1 percent, respectively. (See
table 1.) 
 
Unemployment

The unemployment rate of the foreign born declined from 5.6 percent to 3.4 percent from 2021 
to 2022, and the jobless rate for the native born decreased from 5.3 percent to 3.7 percent. 
The jobless rate for the foreign born remained higher than its 2019 level (3.1 percent), prior
to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, while the rate for the native born was little changed 
from its pre-pandemic level (3.8 percent). The over-the-year declines in the unemployment 
rates of the foreign born and the native born reflected declines in the rates for both men and
women. In 2022, the unemployment rates for foreign-born men and women fell by 1.8 percentage
points and 2.5 percentage points to 3.3 percent and 3.6 percent, respectively. The unemployment 
rates for native-born men and women fell by 1.7 percentage points and 1.4 percentage points
to 3.8 percent and 3.6 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)

For both the foreign born and the native born, jobless rates vary considerably by race and 
ethnicity. Among the foreign born, Blacks had the highest unemployment rate in 2022 (4.8 percent),
followed by Hispanics (3.7 percent), Whites (3.4 percent), and Asians (2.4 percent). Among
the native born, jobless rates were highest for Blacks (6.4 percent), followed by Hispanics 
(4.8 percent), Asians (3.6 percent), and Whites (2.9 percent).

Occupation

In 2022, foreign-born workers continued to be more likely than native-born workers to be 
employed in service occupations (21.6 percent versus 14.8 percent); natural resources, 
construction, and maintenance occupations (13.9 percent versus 7.9 percent); and production, 
transportation, and material moving occupations (15.2 percent versus 12.1 percent). Foreign-born
workers were less likely than native-born workers to be employed in management, professional,
and related occupations (35.7 percent versus 44.7 percent) and in sales and office occupations
(13.6 percent versus 20.5 percent). (See table 4.)

Among employed men, the disparity was especially great in natural resources, construction,
and maintenance occupations--22.6 percent of the foreign born worked in this occupational field
in 2022, versus 14.4 percent of the native born. The occupational disparity for women was 
pronounced in service occupations--30.0 percent of the foreign born worked in that occupation
group, compared with 17.5 percent of the native born. By contrast, employed native-born men and
women were more likely than their foreign-born counterparts to work in management, professional,
and related occupations and in sales and office occupations.

Earnings

In 2022, median usual weekly earnings of foreign-born full-time wage and salary workers ($945)
were 86.9 percent of the earnings of their native-born counterparts ($1,087). Among men, median
weekly earnings for the foreign born ($1,000) were 84.4 percent of the earnings of the native
born ($1,185). Median earnings for foreign-born women ($861) were 88.3 percent of the earnings
of native-born women ($975). (See table 5.) Differences in earnings reflect a variety of factors,
including variations in the distributions of foreign-born and native-born workers by educational
attainment, occupation, industry, and geographic region. 

Among the major race and ethnicity groups, Hispanic foreign-born full-time wage and salary 
workers earned 83.3 percent as much as their native-born counterparts in 2022. For Black and
Asian workers, earnings for the foreign born were slightly higher than for their native-born
counterparts (by 8.3 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively), while White foreign-born workers
earned 13.4 percent more than their native-born counterparts.   

The earnings of both foreign-born and native-born workers increase with education. In 2022,
foreign-born workers age 25 and over with less than a high school diploma earned $663 per week,
while those with a bachelor's degree and higher earned 2.4 times as much--$1,581 per week. 
Among the native born, those with a bachelor's degree and higher earned 2.2 times as much as
those with less than a high school diploma--$1,537 per week versus $708 per week.

Native-born workers earn more than the foreign born at most educational attainment levels. For
example, among high school graduates (no college), full-time workers who were foreign born
($767) earned 87.3 percent as much as their native-born counterparts ($879) in 2022. However,
among those with a bachelor's degree and higher, the earnings of foreign-born workers ($1,581)
were slightly higher than the earnings of native-born workers ($1,537).



Last Modified Date: May 18, 2023