Illegal immigrants in the U.S. hold a variety of jobs throughout the nation, helping it function in many ways.
Though more illegal immigrant workers hold fewer blue-collar jobs and more white-collar ones now than it did before the Great Recession, a solid majority still works in low-skilled service, construction and production companies, according to new Pew Research Center estimates.
For instance, the service industry is made up of 33 percent of illegal immigrants, compared to 17 percent of U.S.-born workers.
Check out the graphic below.
However, overall, the number of illegal immigrants in management or professional related jobs grew by 180,000 (from 10 percent in 2007 to 13 percent in 2012), while the number in construction or production jobs fell by 475,000 (from 34 percent in 2007 to 29 percent in 2012).
According to Pew, illegal immigrants made up 5.1 percent of the nation’s labor workforce in 2012.
Below are the occupations with the highest shares of illegal immigrants in 2012.
