A recent analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies of Bureau of Labor Statistics data for May 2021 shows that while the official U3 unemployment rate (share of Americans actively looking for work) of both the native-born and immigrants has fallen significantly since the peak of the Covid pandemic, it remains higher than before Covid.
Moreover, the labor force participation rate — the share of working-age (16-64) people with a job or looking for one — remains much lower than in May 2019. According to the findings, both immigrants and native-born Americans without a college degree fared much worse regarding unemployment and labor force participation.
The CIS study found that the unemployment rate for native-born Americans (ages 16-plus) in May was 5.5%, well above the 3.5% in May 2019 before Covid-19. Among immigrants (legal and illegal), the rate was 5.6%, higher than the 2.8% in May 2019.
Additionally, the unemployment rate for native-born Americans (ages 25-plus) without a bachelor's degree was 6.2% this past May, compared to 2.7% for those with at least a bachelor's degree. Among immigrants (ages 25-plus), 6.4% without a bachelor's degree were unemployed, compared to 4 percent with at least a bachelor's degree.
The number of unemployed in May stood at 7.3 million native-born Americans and 1.5 million immigrants; both totals were still much higher than in May 2019, though much lower than at the peak of coronavirus last spring.
In addition to the unemployed, 45.8 million working-age (16-64) native-born Americans and 9.4 million immigrants were entirely out of the labor force this past May. Combined, 64 million native-born Americans and immigrants were not working in May 2021 - 4.3 million more than a year before.
Finding that there were still 45.1 million immigrants and native-born Americans not employed in May 2021, the CIS study points to the rather obvious conclusion that there is still currently a large pool of potential labor already in the country for employers to draw upon to fill vacant positions, negating the calls from Big Business and open border advocates for more uncontrolled immigration to combat a fabricated “worker shortage.”
As mentioned above, those without at least a bachelor's degree fared much worse in terms of unemployment and labor force participation throughout the coronavirus pandemic. According to the CIS study, this group comprises less than two-thirds of the population aged 25 to 64 but currently accounts for three-fourths of those not working.
Additionally, the report found that coronavirus lockdowns exacerbated a long-term decline in the labor force participation rate of the less-educated. In May 2021, only 67%of working-age (16-64) natives without a bachelor's degree were in the labor force, down from 68 percent in May 2019, 71% in May 2007, and 74% in May 2000.
The report uses the public Current Population Survey (CPS) to examine the employment situation in the United States as of May 2021, with particular attention paid to differences between immigrants and the native-born. Based on a monthly survey of 60,000 households, the CPS is the nation's primary source for the unemployment rate and other labor force statistics. The sample is weighted to reflect the actual size and demographic makeup of the civilian non-institutionalized population. The raw data used in this analysis comes directly from the Census Bureau, which collects the data for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
For the complete report, including CIS’ research methods, please visit the CIS website.
