A new report from the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy outlines how immigrants contribute to the Commonwealth.
That includes 12% of the state’s construction workers, 24% of its software engineers and 16% of its physicians. 13% of small, independent business owners are also immigrants.
The data comes from U.S. Census reports like the American Communities Survey.
Dustin Pugel is the center’s policy director. He says immigrants have a significant presence throughout the state economy.
“Immigrants make up a disproportionate share of childcare and other types of care work, but they’re also in sort of middle and higher income jobs as well,” Pugel said. “So I think when we sort of fall into stereotypes, we really lose track of the value that they provide to us across the board.”
Pugel argues stricter deportation policies under the new Trump administration could negatively affect certain economic fields.
“Say, for example, 12% of our construction sector who are immigrants either stay home or potentially deported, that’s going to make it much more difficult to build the type of housing we need to be able to provide homes for everybody here in Kentucky,” Pugel said.
The report says the amount of immigrant workers in Kentucky has grown. They numbered around 2% of the state’s total workforce in 2000. Now, they number around 5%, or around 180,000 people.
The full report is available here.
This story is republished with permission from WEKU. Read the original.
Shepherd Snyder joined WEKU in June 2023 as a staff reporter. He most recently worked for West Virginia Public Broadcasting as a general assignment reporter. In that role, he collected interviews and captured photos in the northern region of West Virginia. Snyder holds a master’s degree in Digital Marketing Communication and a bachelor’s in music from West Virginia University.
