Assisting Newcomers through Employment and Support Services

Robin Koralek, Joanna Parnes

The text below is an excerpt from the complete document. Read the full report in PDF format.

Abstract

The U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (ETA) provided a three-year demonstration grant to Arkansas and Iowa to develop New Americans Centers (NACs) in high immigrant population areas. The purposes of the grant are to promote stability and rapid employment with living wages, speed the transition of new immigrants into communities, assist employers, and enhance local economic development opportunities. This paper is the first report in an ongoing Urban Institute evaluation of the NACs. It focuses on the initial implementation phase of the NACs, highlighting start-up and early operation as well as the types of services participants receive.

---

Introduction

Immigrants make up a large and increasing share of all workers in the United States, especially those with lower skills and earnings. In 2005, immigrants composed 15 percent of all U.S. workers, 21 percent of workers earning below twice the minimum wage, and 45 percent of workers with less than a high school education. In 2000, over 46 percent of immigrant workers had limited English proficiency, nearly three-quarters of whom spoke Spanish.While there is great variation in immigrants’ educational attainment and ability to speak English, they are overrepresented among the lowest skilled workers. In particular, limited English-speaking immigrants have fewer options in the workplace; research shows limited English skills are the single factor most closely associated with low wages and poverty in immigrant families.

This population of immigrants is growing rapidly, especially in smaller cities and rural communities unaccustomed to large immigrant flows. Among the 2003 foreign-born population, 14 percent had entered the United States since 2000 and 37 percent since 1990. Arkansas and Iowa are among 22 “new growth” states who historically were not major immigrant destinations but whose foreign-born populations grew most quickly during the 1990s. Between 1990 and 2000, the immigrant population in Arkansas increased 196 percent; it was the fourth-fastest growing immigrant population in the country. Iowa experienced a similarly rapid growth of immigrants during this period, with a 110 percent growth rate. This pattern has continued throughout the current decade in both states. Between 2000 and 2005, Arkansas experienced a 45.8 percent increase in its foreign-born population, and Iowa saw a 12.8 percent increase.

Like other new growth states, Arkansas and Iowa are only beginning to grow accustomed to the rapid flow of new immigrants and continue to work on how best to integrate newcomers into the community and ensure their self-sufficiency. As new growth states, Arkansas and Iowa also have a higher share of undocumented, recently arrived, and limited English-speaking immigrants than is the case nationally, further complicating integration efforts. Yet, the labor force in these states is increasingly dependent on immigrant workers. For example, Arkansas’ manufacturing workforce would have shrunk between 1990 and 2000 without immigration. During this time, the number of native-born Americans working in manufacturing fell by 9,000 (4 percent) while the number of immigrant workers grew by 12,000 (294 percent).

The New Americans Centers (NACs) Demonstration Project is a three-year project funded by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (ETA). Through the project, ETA provides both Arkansas and Iowa a three-year, $850,000 grant to develop NACs within One-Stop Career Centers in high-immigrant population areas. The NACs are a significant part of Arkansas’ and Iowa’s efforts to help immigrants and other newcomers as they integrate into these states’ economies and communities. The purposes of the grants are to promote stability and rapid employment with living wages for individuals or family members who are without work or who need new work, speed the transition of new immigrants into their communities, assist employers, and enhance the economic development opportunities of these communities.

NACs offer services to assist immigrants and others who are new to the community, including job placement, job training, language classes, community service referrals, resettlement assistance, and legal assistance. Customers are not solely immigrant families but also members of the community and area businesses. To ensure the speedy transition of new immigrants into the community, the centers must work closely with employers who need skilled workers, educational institutions that provide language and occupational training, economic development agencies that can facilitate employer connections, and local community groups that encourage civic participation and understanding in neighborhoods and communities.

Iowa’s NACs are called New Iowan Centers (NICs) and are based on pilot programs in Ottumwa, Muscatine, and Sioux City that began in 2000. In addition, new NICs are housed in One-Stop Career Centers in Council Bluffs, Des Moines, Marshalltown, and Mount Pleasant. In Arkansas, the grant was used to establish four New Arkansan Resource Network (NARN) centers in Little Rock, Malvern, Rogers, and Russellville, with the goal of growing the NARN into a statewide network. In some cases, due to space restrictions, NACs may be located near a One-Stop Career Center, rather than as part of the center. The maps on pages 4 and 5 display the location of each NAC and the primary area it serves.

(End of excerpt. The entire report is available in PDF format.)

---

The nonpartisan Urban Institute publishes studies, reports, and books on timely topics worthy of public consideration. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders.

Usage, posting and reprint of materials on the UI web site:

Most publications may be downloaded free of charge from the web site in PDF format. This information may be used and copies made for research, academic, policy or other non-commercial purposes. Proper attribution is required.

Copyright of the written materials contained within the Urban Institute website is owned or controlled by the Urban Institute. Posting UI research papers on other websites is permitted subject to prior approval from the Urban Institute—contact paffairs@urban.org.

If you are unable to access or print the PDF document please contact us or call the Publications Office at (202) 261-5687.