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Influx of Foreign-Born Workers Drove 2024 US Labor Force Growth

Construction workers raise a framed wall while  building a home in Folsom, California. — Construction workers raise a framed wall while building a home in Folsom, California.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

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By Augusta Saraiva

May 20, 2025 at 5:19 PM UTC

Foreign-born workers drove US labor force growth for another year in 2024, providing a last boost for the job market before President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown was set in motion.

Some 1.2 million immigrants joined the US workforce in 2024, more than offsetting a decline in the number of native workers, Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed Tuesday. The nation’s 32.3 million foreign-born workers — legal and undocumented — now represent a record 19.2% of the labor force.