2005 Foreign-born Workers: Labor Force Characteristics — 2006-04-14

In 2005, foreign-born workers made up about 15 percent of the U.S. civilian labor force age 16 and over, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The unemployment rate for the foreign born fell to 4.6 percent in 2005, down from 5.5 percent in the prior year. Over the year, the jobless rate of the native born declined from 5.5 to 5.2 percent. This news release compares the labor force characteristics of the foreign born with those of their native-born counterparts. The 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 born outside the country or one of its outlying areas to parents who were not U.S. citizens. The foreign born include legally-admitted immigrants, refugees, temporary residents such as students and tempo- rary workers, and undocumented immigrants.