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The Construction Industry in the United States is increasingly reliant on foreign-born Workers, a group that\u2019s come under increased threat this year from the Trump administration.<\/p>\n
More than 2.8 million Construction Workers were foreign born in 2023, making up almost 27% of the Construction Workforce nationwide, up from two million or 25% in 2013.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s according to a study published this month by Construction Coverage, a group of industry experts who conduct research and write articles on construction trends.<\/p>\n
Many of those Immigrant Construction Workers are concentrated in just a few States, including New York, where more than 37% of Construction Workers are foreign born.\u00a0<\/p>\n
New York is fifth in the percentage of its Construction Workforce made up of Immigrant Workers behind Florida, New Jersey, Texas\u00a0and California.<\/p>\n
In the New York City Metropolitan Area almost 49% of Construction Workers are Immigrants, the study found.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s nearly 290,000 foreign-born Construction Workers in the City\u2019s Metropolitan Area as of 2023, according to the study, an area that includes Newark and Jersey City, New Jersey.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jonathan Jones, a Senior Researcher at Construction Coverage who authored the report, said in a statement the reliance on Immigrant Construction Workers was a regional trend given that over 50% of Construction Workers in Bridgeport, Connecticut are Immigrants as are 49% of Construction Workers in Trenton, New Jersey.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The data highlights the \u201ctale of two economies\u201d in New York State, Jones added, given the difference in the Construction Workforce in the area immediately surrounding New York City versus Upstate.<\/p>\n
“The picture changes dramatically just a few hours north (of New York City),\u201d he said. “In Upstate markets, the reliance on Immigrant Workers drops precipitously – to just (8.4%) in Albany, (7.6%) in Rochester, and (6.1%) in Buffalo, suggesting that while foreign-born Employees are the backbone of development in (New York) City and surrounding suburbs, construction employment demographics look completely different across the rest of the State.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
In general, the report found, high concentrations of Immigrant Construction Workers are clustered in cities across the country, with Miami having the highest percentage of Immigrant Construction Workers at over 66%.<\/p>\n
Most of the foreign-born Workers in construction across the country are Laborers, over 750,000 \u2013 Carpenters, over 360,000, or Painters – over 250,000, the study found.<\/p>\n
And Immigrants make up a majority of the national workforce in Drywall and Ceiling Installers, Painters, Paperhangers and roofers.\u00a0<\/p>\n