Undocumented Workers Essay

Words: 632
Pages: 3

The effects of undocumented workers in America have impacted the construction industry because contractors and subs are hiring them for less wages than an American citizen and they are not receiving proper training and cannot speak English. It is estimated that 14%-25% of construction workers are undocumented and they receive about $3.12 less than American workers (Harmen, 2013). Some issues of this are that less Americans have jobs, the owner’s business can be shut down, they don’t receive the right safety training, most cannot speak English which can cause accidents on the job site, and less money in the American economy. Since some of these undocumented workers don’t receive the correct safety training therefore there are more accidents on the job site. There was a study in Texas that showed that half of the construction workers were undocumented and they surveyed 1,200 workers throughout the state (Harmon, 2013). And that same study showed that 73 percent of undocumented workers have not received the proper safety training as the American workers. When the recession hit a lot of …show more content…
From 1990 to 2000, Hispanic workers in construction doubled, from 700,000 to 1.5 million. Those numbers doubled again in less than 10 years, from 1.5 million in 2000 to 3 million in 2007(CPWR, 2010). Out of every three illegal Mexicans entering the U.S, one will get a job in the construction industry. In 1980 Latinos comprised 5.8% of the U.S. construction workforce. This increased to 20% in 2000 (CPWR, 2010). The majority (54%) of immigrant construction workers come from Mexico. An additional 25% come from other countries in the Americas. Europeans make up 12% and an additional 8% come from Asia (CPWR, 2010). Majority of undocumented workers work as unskilled laborers and are often hired as independents by subcontractors and payed with cash. Majority of undocumented workers work in drywall