Figure 1b Percentage Change in Employment Over the Same Quarter Last Year for Foreign- Born and Native- Born Workers, 2007 to 2010
More specifically, in the one-year period from the fourth quarter of 2009 to the fourth quarter of 2010, foreign-born workers gained 657,000 jobs and native-born workers gained 685,000 jobs. The unemployment rate dropped for both groups during this period. For immigrant workers it fell 0.2 percentage points (from 10.1% to 9.9%) and for native-born workers it decreased by about 0.5 percentage points (from 9.5% to 9.0%).
The fourth quarter of 2010 is the first period since the middle of 2008 that native-born workers have experienced positive jobs growth (growth being measured as the change over the same quarter in the previous year). For foreign-born workers, the fourth quarter of 2010 marks the third successive period of jobs growth. Thus, the economic recovery now appears to be benefiting all workers, although the gains to native-born workers have been a bit later in coming.
But the jobs recovery has been far from complete for either group of workers. From the beginning of the recession in the fourth quarter of 2007 to the fourth quarter of 2010, native-born workers lost 6.1 million jobs, a drop of 4.9%, and foreign-born workers lost 262,000 jobs, or a drop of 1.2%. The unemployment rate for native-born workers is up from 4.6% to 9.0% and for immigrants it is up from 4.5% to 9.9%.
Figure 1b  | Percentage Change in Employment Over the Same Quarter Last Year  | for Foreign- Born and Native- Born Workers, 2007 to 2010  | (nonseasona My adjusted; ages 16 and older)  | Foreign Born  | Native Born  | 5%  | 4%  | 3%  | 2%  | I  | I  | I  | I  | >  | I  | I  | 1%  | 0%  | I  | is  | I  | I  | I  | I  | i  | it  | -1%  | a  | -2%  | -3%  | .4%  | -5%  | -6%  | Note: Data are adjusted to account for the effects of annua revisions to the CPS  | Source: Pew Hispanic Center tabula tions of Current Popula tion Survey data 