Immigrants filling 30% of US jobs

Nearly three out of every 10 jobs in the United States are being filled by immigrants, according to a new study.

Workers, who are not US citizens claimed 378,496 jobs out of a net increase of 1.3 million from the first three months of 2003 through the first three months of 2004, the study by the non-partisan Pew Hispanic Center said.

The share of jobs going to non-citizens was particularly notable because workers who are not US citizens account for fewer than 9 per cent of all those holding jobs in the United States, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"The proportion of new jobs captured by non-citizens was much larger than their share of overall employment," said the report, prepared by labour economist Rakesh Kochhar.

"Thus, the political impact of job gains may be dampened by the fact that non-citizens are benefiting disproportionately from the turnaround in the labour market."

Centre director Roberto Suro said the "turnaround is being fueled to a substantial extent by the demand for immigrant labour. And as a result, a substantial chunk of the new jobs are going to people who are not voters".

The study is likely to sharpen the debate about the role of immigrant workers in America, the quality of new jobs and the impact of globalisation.

Most economists have tended to minimise the impact of large numbers of immigrants entering the US job market, but the Pew findings may bolster those who challenge that view.

The high proportion of new jobs going to recent immigrants may reflect the fact that the current recovery has thus far been different from most past upturns.

In recent months, as overall job growth has begun to improve, most of the new jobs appear to have come in categories that require relatively low skills and pay relatively low wages by the kinds of jobs for which new immigrants are strong competitors.