The differential impact of unemployment and the receipt of unemployment benefits between native and foreign born workers in the United States construction industry

This dissertation examines the burden of unemployment in the U.S. construction industry. The construction industry has long served as an opportunity gateway for newcomer immigrants who were trying to establish themselves in the U.S. An examination of the more current industry state brought focus to bear on more specific and recent issues including the prevalence of Hispanic workers. The focus question of the study is to determine who bears the greater burden of unemployment: immigrant or native-born workers? To discover the answer to this question and to develop a prediction model data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census was used. A number of variables of significance were determined through standard regression analyses that were vital in identification of certain worker groups that are most vulnerable to unemployment. The analysis was then extended by predicting the recipients of unemployment insurance benefits payments as the different worker groups that offset primary income loss due to unemployment. The prediction model observes a highly disproportionate cost of unemployment between immigrants and native-born workers. The study findings include that immigrant workers in construction experience a significant differential impact regarding unemployment and the receipt of unemployment benefit relative to native workers. Hispanic foreign-born worker, without U.S. citizenship, are less likely to be unemployed compared to any other group of workers. They find ways not to be unemployed despite the volatility of construction. Hispanic without U.S. citizenship, cannot afford to be unemployed due to a lack of other sources of income, relatively low levels of family income, and relatively low levels of wealth accumulation. The primary explanation of this is based on the differential cost of unemployment. The prediction model for the likelihood of unemployment insurance benefit receipt shows that Hispanic foreign-born workers, without U.S. citizenship, are less likely to enjoy the unemployment insurance benefits, more so than any other group. The barriers to benefit receipt include lack of English proficiency, lack of information, and the fact that the basic unemployment insurance eligibility requirements are structured to make it difficult for these workers to secure the benefit.