Latino Workforce Drops For First Time Since 2003

For the first time since 2003, the United States saw a drop in the number of Latino immigrants in the country’s labor force according to statistics released yesterday from the Pew Hispanic Center.

In what is perceived to be part of the ongoing economic downturn, the research shows that the number of Latino immigrants in the active work force was down 1.1 percent in the third quarter of 2008. While small, this decrease is in stark contrast to the steady growth seen over the last five years.

The report says it is unable to conclude if the downturn is due to immigrants returning to their native countries, but t does find evidence that the amount of immigrants coming into the country has been slowing since 2005.
The authors say that because jobs attract many immigrants to the U.S., the worsening economy may play a factor in these recent numbers.
“The recession has widened and deepened, and, driven by construction, it has certainly seemed to put Latino immigrants in a state of transition,” Rakesh Kochhar, an economist with Pew and author of the study told the Washington Post.

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