Hispanic workers are getting two out of every three construction jobs around the country, with the same trend carrying over to the national capital region, according to a new report.
Despite the slumping housing market in 2006, the job growth within the construction industry remained strong, fueled by a strong commercial sector. According to a report from the Pew Hispanic Center, Hispanics, the majority of whom were born outside of the country, filled two out of three new construction jobs.
The report also found that in the South — a region that includes the D.C. metro area — the number of Hispanics working in construction has increased.
These findings come at a time when the region is split on how to deal with illegal Hispanic workers. Virginia has taken a more aggressive policy toward illegal immigrants, while Maryland’s stance has been more liberal.
The Pew report indicates that despite Virginia’s efforts, the number of illegal Hispanic workers, at least in the construction industry, is on the rise. Without these workers, Pew Associate Director of Research Rakesh Kochhar said, the construction industry would change dramatically.
“There continues to be a strong appetite for these workers,” he said. “The industry is becoming reliant on these workers. Some argue if we do cut back on immigration, industries will have to change. New technologies? Changes in wages? It’s hard to say what happens if you cut out a bunch of workers.”
Audrey Singer, an immigration fellow at the Brookings Institution, said the continued growth of the Hispanic construction work force is due to the nature of the industry.
“It may be the people are taking these jobs because they are the only ones they can get,” she said. “It’s partly the nature of the work, it’s partly the nature of the workers, it’s partly the social networks where workers can tell other workers about jobs.”
