Immigrants do not account for most of the Hispanic workers in the U.S. for the first time in nearly two decades, according to a new study released this week.
The Pew Research Center study also shows most of the jobs gains made by Hispanics during the nation’s economic recovery from the Great Recession have gone to U.S.-born workers.
Last year, 49.7 percent of the nation’s more than 22 million Hispanic workers were immigrants, according to the study, which is based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is down from a pre-recession peak of 56.1 percent in 2007. Hispanics have gained 2.8 million jobs since the recession ended in 2009, but only 453,000 of those went to immigrants.
The study attributes its findings to a waning inflow of Hispanic immigrants brought on by several factors, including the nation’s economic struggles, tighter border controls and more deportations.
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