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July 7, 2005
Study: immigrants bolstering Mass. labor
Yawu Miller
Pundits from government and industry gathered last
week to ponder the results of a new study showing that the number
of immigrants in the state’s workforce has doubled since
1980.
While most focused on the need to improve access to English-as-a-second-language
classes, Rocio Saenz, the Mexican-born president of the Service
Employees International Union Local 615, said improving their
wages would go a long way.
“If we don’t address the situation of the workplace,
they wont be able to take classes,” she said. “If
they’re working two or three jobs, they have to decide between
taking classes and spending time with their family.”
Many of those who make up Saenz’s union work in janitorial
jobs where annual earnings well below a sustainable level. And
many come from countries in the Caribbean, central and South America,
where English is not commonly spoken.
Of the 406,866 immigrants currently in the Massachusetts workforce,
nearly 100,000 have limited English skills, according to the MassInc
study, which was compiled jointly with Northeastern University’s
Center for Labor Market Studies.
Those immigrants with limited English skills earn on average just
$14,000 a year. By comparison, immigrants who were proficient
in English earned an average of $38,526.
The research found that the majority of immigrants are concentrated
in the state’s urban centers. In Boston, where one quarter
of all residents were born outside of the United States, seven
percent of residents have limited English skills.
While some immigrants come to the state to work in unskilled and
low-paying jobs and others work in high tech and other lucrative
sectors, the net immigration of immigrants has helped to bolster
the state’s population as large numbers of residents have
left the state.
Between 2000 and 2004, 172,054 foreign nationals immigrated to
Massachusetts, while in the same time period a slightly lesser
number of Massachusetts residents left the state. That net increase
in population was crucial to the economic well-being of the state,
according to the study.
“If we’re going to continue to grow, we’re going
to have to do a better job of attracting and retaining immigrants,”
said Andy Sum, who works with the Center for Labor Market Studies
at Northeastern.
Sum echoed the call to marshal more resources for ESL programs,
citing the higher-incomes of English-speaking immigrants.
All participants, including Lawrence Mayor Michael Sullivan and
Verizon Regional President Donna Cupelo, said the Commonwealth
should be accepting of the new immigrants. Massachusetts Department
of Workforce Development Jane Edmonds cited $7 million in funding
the state has allocated for ESL programs.
Jerry Villacres, editor of El Planeta, a Spanish weekly newspaper
based in Brookline, urged Edmonds to lobby for passage of other
immigrant-friendly legislation.
“I’d like to tell your boss to please sign the dream
act,” he said, referring to legislation that would enable
the children of undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition
for state colleges. Governor Romney opposes the measure.
State Senate President Robert Travaglini told the immigrant community
present at the forum that he and others in elected office are
supportive of their needs.
“There are people in positions of power who understand your
plight,” he said.
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