Demographic Trends Affecting CitiesImmigration
Outline
Trends Implications for cities City employment Checklist for cities Information resources
Trends
Rate of immigration is growing in MN 15,456 arrivals in 2005 17th among US states in immigration
9192
6103 52434995
5189
5621 4665
5704
6627
7461 6851
74387098
8111
8977 8233 6981 5956
8671
11166
13522
8406
12097
15456
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
18,000
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
Immigrants admitted with MN as intended state of residence
US Dept of Homeland Security
Trends
MN immigrants are diverse
Fast growing group: 2 in every 5 immigrants were from Africa in 2005
40%
24%
17%
13%
6%
Asia
Latin America
Europe
Africa
Other
Place of birth for MN foreign-born population, U.S. Census 2000
Trends
Immigrants come to MN for multiple reasons (2000 Census): 63% came to join family members 16% came to work 12% came as refugees
MN leads the nation in the largest percentage of immigrants who are refugees or admitted through family reunification sponsorship
Trends
Immigrants have settled across the state
Large concentrations of immigrants live in: St. Paul and Minneapolis; Suburbs; and Rural communities with food
processing plants
Trends
Immigrants in MN have been attracted to jobs in: Manufacturing Hospitality Construction Food processing Agriculture
Trends
Compared to immigrants of the late 19th & early 20th centuries, today’s immigrants are: Learning English faster; Less likely to return to their country of
origin
Trends
Immigrants will become the largest source of new workers 20% of new workers entering the US
labor force between 2002-2012 will be Latino (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
MN has the highest Latino labor force participation rate in the county
Implications for Cities
A majority of MN cities over 1,500 population are experiencing community changes due to immigration (2007 LMC survey) 12% “to a great degree” 54% “to some degree” 34% reported no immigration–related
changes
Implications for Cities: 2007 survey findings
Main diversity issues: Communication; Cultural differences; Housing; and Lack of community
integration
Barriers in addressing: Lack of money; Lack of will/
commitment from city officials & staff;
Lack of time; Communication &
cultural differences; Unsure of how to
proceed; and Limited staff capacity
Implications for Cities
Other challenges: Undocumented immigrants
false identification or shared documents Overcrowding in housing Illegal parking of too many vehicles General code compliance Language barriers
Costs incurred in building multilingual staff or for interpretive services
Implications for Cities
The League’s cultural diversity work found 4 main reasons for cities to build ethnic & cultural diversity:
1) Civic responsibility
2) Economic development
3) Loss control
4) Community harmony
Implications for Cities
Civic responsibility City officials are elected and appointed
to: ensure that residents received quality city
services; engage them in the city government
process; and to lead the community in setting and
achieving a shared vision of the future.
Implications for Cities
Economic development Ethnic populations contribute
significantly to the economic base of MN communities An estimated $6 billion in buying power Provide a stable workforce Are engaged in entrepreneurship and job
creation
Implications for Cities
Loss control Cities face serious liability issues for
noncompliance with civil rights laws Cities must be aware of liability risks
and work to reduce them
Implications for Cities
Community harmony Existing residents likely have
expectations about assimilation of newcomers
City leadership should encourage “bilateral assimilation:” Both long-term residents and newcomers
modify behaviors and expectations to accommodate each other
City Employment: Challenges
Younger generations of immigrant populations tend to be larger than the older generations
Retiring city staff are likely to be replaced by new immigrants
Immigrants may be hesitant to apply for city employment
City Employment: Challenges
2000 Census
City Employment: Opportunities
Cities need to reach out and recruit in culturally sensitive and nontraditional ways
Need for training in cultural competence to city employees working for and with diverse populations
Checklist for Cities
What is the projected future ethnic makeup of our community
How do we work with the state to understand future refugee populations
How much do we know about who currently lives in our community Particular ethnic groups What brought them here Where they are living
Checklist for Cities
How does each immigrant group feel about our community
Do we know who the leaders or liaisons of immigrant populations are
Do we have strategies for reaching these communities
What is our outreach plan
Checklist for Cities
Is city staff trained to respond successfully to new residents Language barriers
Are our city codes creating unique issues with immigrant populations
Checklist for Cities
Are we finding ways to encourage these populations to become engaged with our community
What type of messages do city officials send about welcoming newcomers
What is the human rights violation process available to members of ethnic populations
Checklist for Cities: Civic Engagement
What do we know about the culture from which they came and how that affects their view of city government View of law enforcement
Are members of newcomer groups willing to cooperate with law enforcement
Checklist for Cities: City Employment
Are ethnic populations represented in our city workforce Do they apply for positions
Have we taken any steps to affirmatively recruit and retain ethnic employees
Is our city staff trained in intercultural competency and able to reduce workplace conflict
Resources
U.S. Census Bureau http://www.census.gov/ Professor Katherine Fennelly, Hubert H.
Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, UMN Professor Richard Alba, SUNY – Albany Professor Victor Nee, Cornell University National Research Council Social Security Administration Tom Stinson, Minnesota State Economist Tom Gillapsy, Minnesota Demographer
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