Abstract
In this chapter we analyze employment patterns in the US and Spain of naturalized citizens born in Latin America, immigrants born in Latin America, and native populations during the Great Recession (2007–2013). The immigrant labor market is a social space that is particularly sensitive to economic crises, and where increased vulnerability results in the emergence of resilience practices. We use comparable annual data from the Current Population Survey for the US and from the Economically Active Population Survey in the case of Spain. The patterns identified in the data indicate large negative impacts of the Great Recession on Latinos and the higher sensitivity of their employments to the economic cycle in both countries relative to the employment trends of native populations and naturalized Latino immigrants. We observe that the effects vary by education level, gender, and sector, and that Latino immigrant employment recovered in the US. In the case of Spain this crisis has been so deep and long that a significant Latino immigrant return migration is under way.
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Notes
- 1.
This group includes native citizens of all races. Although racial disadvantages are observed for non-whites in both countries, we kept all natives in one group to keep our analytical focus on immigration and ease the comparison among natives, naturalized citizens, and immigrants.
- 2.
Van Hook and Bachmeier (2013) found that citizenship status is inaccurately reported on U.S. Surveys among long-term foreign born residents from Mexico.
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Cachón, L., Aysa-Lastra, M. (2015). Native and Latino Employment During the Great Recession in the US and Spain. In: Aysa-Lastra, M., Cachón, L. (eds) Immigrant Vulnerability and Resilience. International Perspectives on Migration, vol 11. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14797-0_2
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