New Study Challenges Assumptions About Where Immigrants Work in America

A new analysis of U.S. workforce data has found that management, business and financial occupations employ more first-generation immigrants than any other job category in the United States, challenging long-held assumptions about where immigrant labor is concentrated.

The research, conducted by the Law Offices of James A. Welcome, analyzed U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey data covering first-generation foreign-born workers across every major occupational category in 2024. The findings show that approximately 4.15 million immigrant workers are employed in management, business and financial roles, making it the largest occupational sector for immigrants nationwide.

Construction and extraction occupations ranked second with 2.99 million workers, followed closely by transportation and material moving occupations at 2.91 million. Computer, engineering and science occupations ranked fourth with 2.84 million workers.

The findings arrive as immigration remains one of the most debated policy issues in the United States, particularly in relation to labor markets and workforce shortages.

While public discussion frequently focuses on industries such as agriculture, construction and hospitality, the data suggests immigrant workers play a significant role across professional, managerial and highly skilled occupations.

According to the study, management and financial occupations employ more than one million additional immigrant workers than construction, a sector often viewed as the primary destination for foreign-born labor. Researchers argue that distinction highlights how much the immigrant workforce has evolved over recent decades.

The study also found substantial immigrant representation in sectors facing ongoing labor shortages.

Computer, engineering and science occupations account for nearly 2.84 million first-generation immigrant workers. Previous Bureau of Labor Statistics data cited in the research shows that approximately 27% of workers in computer and mathematical occupations are foreign-born. The share of doctorate holders in the U.S. labor force who are foreign-born has also increased from 16.4% in 1994 to 25.8% in 2024.

Researchers say those figures underscore the role immigrant workers play in technology, engineering and research-driven industries that continue to experience strong demand for skilled labor.

Healthcare was another sector highlighted in the findings.

The study identified approximately 1.57 million first-generation immigrant workers in healthcare practitioner and technical occupations, alongside a further 1.3 million workers in healthcare support roles. Combined, the two categories account for nearly 2.9 million immigrant workers across the healthcare system.

Education, legal and community service occupations were also found to employ more than two million first-generation immigrants, making them one of the largest occupational groups in the study.

One of the report’s central findings is that occupations categorized as “surprising” by researchers—including management, STEM, healthcare and education—collectively employ more immigrant workers than the occupations most commonly associated with immigrant labor.

The researchers argue that the findings reflect decades of immigration patterns shaped not only by labor shortages but also by higher education, skilled worker visa programs and employer-sponsored migration.

The study also notes that despite significant representation across professional occupations, wage disparities remain. First-generation immigrant workers earn a median annual income of $52,130, compared with a national median of $62,088. According to the analysis, immigrant women record the lowest median earnings of any demographic group included in the data.

The findings come at a time when employers across healthcare, technology, logistics and professional services continue to report hiring challenges, while policymakers debate the future direction of U.S. immigration policy.

Researchers conclude that management, STEM and healthcare occupations alone account for more than 10 million first-generation immigrant workers, highlighting the extent to which foreign-born labor has become embedded throughout the modern American economy.

Research source:
https://welcomelawfirm.com/research/where-immigrants-are-working-in-america/