Immigrants and Workforce Development

Barriers to Immigrants use of Job Access Centers

• Complex immigration laws make it difficult to know who is work authorized and who is not
• Immigrants' lack of familiarity with American way of job searching, interviewing, resume writing
• Interviewers who insist on phone screening which almost always handicaps non native English speakers
• Companies advertising that only permanent residents or US citizens need apply (there are many immigrants and refugees who are work authorized but are not technically permanent residents)

Urban Revitalization & Workforce Development

• Impact of immigration generally agreed to be positive for the U.S. and its urban economies
• Immigrants have accounted for 82% of growth in Massachusetts labor force since mid-1980s
• Foreign-born students spend up to $13 billion annually in the United States
• Immigrants are more likely than native-born Americans to start their own businesses
• The smallest businesses (those that employed up to 4 persons) are most likely to be created by new immigrants and account for the largest percentage increase in employment among business of all sizes

Sobering Trends of Decline

• In the 1990's, Pennsylvania lost the most young college graduates of any state (29,574)
• Pennsylvania has the second-oldest workforce in the United States (behind only Florida)

For information on Pennsylvania CareerLink, PA Work Stats, careers in demand, and other resources from the Pennsylvania Workforce Development site,

please click here.

Quick Tip

Visit the Migration Information Source for a wealth of information on America's foreign-born.

Most Visited

• Immigrant FAQs
• Events Calendar
• Healthcare
• Vision and Mission
• Staff

Latino Labor Report 2006: Strong Gains in Employment

Hispanic labor force exceeds over any other group in the U.S.