Employment of foreign-born Hispanics increased at a markedly slower pace in the first quarter of 2007 than during the same period in the previous three years, according to Pew Hispanic Center. The slowdown was particularly noticeable in the bellwether construction industry. A recent survey by Mexican authorities shows that fewer Mexicans say they are planning to seek work outside the country. In the third quarter of 2007, about 47,000 said they would be packing their bags. That is down nearly one-third from the same quarter a year earlier. What is behind the apparent decline? Some say it is primarily the slump in U.S. construction, which has been a magnet for undocumented workers over the last few years -- one in five Latino immigrants works in the building trades. As the bust in the U.S. housing market eliminates construction jobs, Mexico's economy is proving surprisingly resilient, giving Mexicans added incentive to stay home. Job creation has been solid over the last two years, with nearly 2 million positions added in the formal economy. Although most jobs here pay a fraction of what they would in the United States, some Mexicans may be deciding that poorly paid work is better than none, given the uncertainty over the border. Immigration experts say tougher enforcement is but one of several explanations. The border buildup has encouraged more illegal immigrants to employ professional smugglers, whose success rate is higher than that of individuals, according to Wayne Cornelius, director of the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies at UC San Diego. He said tougher enforcement had also discouraged many undocumented workers from returning to their homelands for occasional visits for fear of getting caught reentering the U.S. The growth in remittances sent to Mexico has dwindled to a trickle. Through October of this year, Mexicans living abroad sent $20.4 billion home to their families, a 1.3% increase over the same period in 2006, according to Mexico's central bank. Those sums were growing in excess of 20% annually just a few years ago.
Source: Los Angeles Times, " The undocumented hesitate to enter a less-alluring U.S. Fewer illegal migrants appear to be crossing the border", by Marla Dickerson, December 26, 2007, http://www.latimes.com