FutureWire - futurism and emerging technology

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

One in Seven Mexican Workers Now Work in US

Rather than being a short-term political or border-control issue, immigration from Mexico to the US appears to be a significant migration trend, one that isn't likely to change anytime soon. A recent report has found that the US currently has 7 million workers from Mexico, an increase of 2 million from six years ago... meaning that one in 7 Mexican workers now works in the United States.

Ironically, one cause of the increase may be better border enforcement, effectively trapping Mexicans in the US who might otherwise cross the border back to Mexico.

In 2005, 9.4% of native Mexicans were living in the US, and 14% of working Mexicans had jobs in the US (as opposed to 2.5% of working Canadians). This year, Mexicans accounted for nearly 5% of the total US civilian workforce.

Source: Reuters (via Yahoo)