2004 Foreign-born Workers: Labor Force Characteristics — 2005-05-12

The unemployment rate for the foreign born fell to 5.5 percent in 2004, down from 6.6 percent in the prior year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The job- less rate of the native born also fell to 5.5 percent in 2004, declin- ing from 5.9 percent in the previous year. 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 out- side the country or one of its outlying areas to parents who were not U.S. citizens. For further information about the survey, see the Technical Note.