2009 Foreign-born Workers: Labor Force Characteristics — 2010-03-19

The share of the U.S. labor force composed of the foreign born was little changed in 2009, and their unemployment rate rose from 5.8 to 9.7 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The jobless rate of the native born increased from 5.8 percent in 2008 to 9.2 percent in 2009. This news release compares the labor force characteristics of the for- eign born with those of their native-born counterparts. The data on na- tivity 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. The foreign born include legally-admitted immigrants, refugees, temporary residents such as students and temporary workers, and undocumented immigrants.