These Are The Industries Employing the Most Immigrants

Immigrants have always played a huge role in the development of our country. Traveling overseas to start a new life takes a lot of dedication, and often that dedication is transferred into providing for yourself and your family.

CapRelo, a global relocation company, recently took data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to determine which industries employ the most immigrants. They were able to break this data down to employment among men and women as well as the change in employment by industry over time.

To see the breakdown of statistics on where immigrants are being employed, keep reading.

Employment by Industry in 2018

According to the data, there were 28,202,417 immigrants employed in the U.S. workforce in 2018. These workers are spread across a wide range of industries. While there are certain industries with a much larger percentage of immigrants compared to others, each industry benefits.

The industries with the largest percentage of employed immigrants in 2018 are:

1. Construction and extraction: 9.5%
2. Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance: 8.2%
3. Sales and related: 7.7%
4. Transportation and material moving: 7.6%
5. Production: 7.4%

The industries with the smallest percentage of employed immigrants are:

1. Legal: 0.6%
2. Community and social services: 0.9%
3. Protective service: 0.9%
4. Life, physical, and social science: 1.2%
5. Art, design, entertainment, sports, and media: 1.4%

The Largest Changes in Immigrant Employment from 2007 to 2018

From 2007 to 2018, over 4.2 million immigrants entered the U.S. workforce. While the changes in employment aren’t extremely large percentage-wise, even the smallest increase means thousands of workers.

The industries with the largest changes (both positive and negative) in immigrant employment are:

1. Sales and office: -2.6%
2. Natural resources, construction, and maintenance: 2%
3. Production, transportation, and material moving: -1%
4. Healthcare practitioner and technical: 1%

The Industries Employing the Most Male Immigrants

Immigrants in the workforce are made up of mostly men. In 2018, there were 16,202,750 male immigrants in the U.S. workforce. Unlike women, most of the male immigrants reside in just a few industries.

The industries employing the most male immigrants are:

The Industries Employing the Most Female Immigrants

Unlike male immigrants, female immigrants take on much less labor-heavy roles. There are also significantly fewer female immigrants employed in the workforce -- just under 12 million in 2018. However, despite the fact that there are over 4 less female immigrants employed than male immigrants, 12 million female immigrants is still an extremely large number.

The industries employing the most female immigrants are:

1. Office administration and support: 11.2%
2. Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance: 10%
3. Personal care and service: 8.9%

Despite there being large amounts of immigrants in specific industries, this doesn’t mean these are the only industries employed in. According to the data, both male and female immigrants are taking on roles in all different types of industries. Nearly 1% of female immigrants are employed in the architecture and engineering industry, while 1.8% of male immigrants are employed in the personal care and service industry.

Just like native-born people in the workforce, immigrants continue to break down barriers to further their careers to providing for their families. While it can be extremely tough and disheartening searching for a job in a new country, seeing the growth in different industries and the growth in immigrants employed in the U.S. is good to see. Diversity continues to grow in America, and the path we set for future generations is one to be admired.