Immigrants more likely to work in some Utah industries

Immigrants in the state of Utah are now more likely to work in five of the area’s 13 major industrial sectors than those born in the United States, according to a new report. The five sectors are construction; manufacturing; leisure and hospitality; administrative services such as telemarketing, security firms and loan collections; and ‘other services’, which includes such activities as repairing garden equipment, electronics and motor vehicles.

The new study from The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Immigration and the States Project was released on Monday and made use of census data to calculate ratios for the likelihood of US-born and immigrant workers being employed in specific industries both in the state of Utah and the US as a whole.

The report points out that a number of industries are more likely to attract immigrants on a nationwide basis, while others are more likely to attract those born in the United States; for example, immigrants are more likely to work in hospitality and leisure in 48 states (excluding only Michigan and North Dakota), which is the largest share enjoyed by any industry in the country. Immigrants are also more likely to be employed in the manufacturing industry in 43 states.

By contrast, immigrants are far less likely to work in the employment sector anywhere except Virginia, or in the real estate and financial sector anywhere but Washington DC. When it comes to the public administration sector, US-born workers outnumber immigrants in every state.