Citation URL: http://www.urban.org/MariaEEnchautegui

This study estimates that welfare reform may reduce employment among U.S.-born low-skilled men by 2 percent. In the long-run, welfare reform may drive down wages for low-skilled U.S.- born women in the labor force by 2.2 percent. Finally, immigration, which accounts for the growth in low-skilled labor in the U.S., is not likely to pose a threat to the success of welfare mothers in the labor market.

Despite the passionate national debate over affirmative action, little attention has been paid to the fairness of government contracting--a potentially important factor for minority economic progress. To provide a national picture of how minority-owned firms are doing in the area of government contracting, the Urban Institute carried out a study of the extent to which minority-owned firms receive a representative share of state and local government contract dollars. The study reveals substantial disparities between the share of contract dollars received by minority-owned firms and the share of all firms that they represent. This report surveys the evidence, examines the economic and policy context, suggests a research agenda, and offers conclusions based on the data.

This paper examines the socioeconomic status and future employment trends for low-skilled immigrants to investigate whether low-skilled immigrants will be able to navigate changes in the labor market. The paper reviews relevant literature: the demographic, policy, and economic context; and the problem of low human capital existing side-by-side with a growing demand for skilled workers. The paper concludes with a discussion of income prospects for low-skilled workers in a changing labor market.

This report highlights why Latino poverty should be deemed a public policy concern and reviews the historical lack of attention to this problem of poverty. The report goes on to delineate recommendations for a Latino policy agenda and action items for policies. Several tables and figures provide comparative profiles of the Latino populations in the United States in terms of earnings, poverty rates, and demographic information.

This report describes research based on analysis of wages and employment using 1980 and 1990 March Current Population Survey data. The research compares the status of African American males in high-immigration labor markets to their status in other markets. It concludes with a discussion of relative impacts of immigration and income inequality.

To present a national socioeconomic portrayal of Latino neighborhoods, this study examines 1980 and 1990 census tracts that are at least 50 percent Latino. It investigates the determinants of poverty rates and transitions into and out of poverty concentration. A special focus in this analysis is the relationship between immigration and poverty.

The question posed in this paper is whether there is empirical validity to the claim that U.S. immigration should be reduced because the economy cannot absorb immigrants as it did in the past. Using 1980 and 1990 census data, the author analyzes male hourly wages to answer this question and to determine whether the wages of the average native worker and the average immigrant worker increased or decreased over the period. Included is a brief review of U.S. immigration policy.

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