Immigration and Construction

There are an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants
currently residing in the United States. The
construction industry is heavily dependent on
immigrant labor, legal and illegal, for production.
Immigration reform legislation will undoubtedly
reduce the supply of illegal immigrants by
encouraging enforcement of current laws and by
enacting new legislation with harsher penalties for
illegal immigration. Depending on the form of the
legislation, the cost of construction could increase
dramatically.
There is wide speculation among industry executives
regarding the impact of immigration reform
legislation on the construction industry. In
response to industry concern, the aim of this
research is to analyze the impact of immigration and
immigration reform legislation on construction
project costs. This analysis should help
construction executives and project managers better
anticipate the impact of labor reforms on project
costs. It is also useful for legislators, social
policy authors and researchers, demographers, and
others interested in immigration reform policy.

Autorentext
Dr. Sabrina Golden is an officer in the U.S. Navy and a professional engineer who works in facilities and construction management. She earned her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, Project Management from the University of Maryland where she researched the effects of immigration reform on construction project costs in the Washington, D.C. area.

Klappentext
There are an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States. The construction industry is heavily dependent on immigrant labor, legal and illegal, for production. Immigration reform legislation will undoubtedly reduce the supply of illegal immigrants by encouraging enforcement of current laws and by enacting new legislation with harsher penalties for illegal immigration. Depending on the form of the legislation, the cost of construction could increase dramatically. There is wide speculation among industry executives regarding the impact of immigration reform legislation on the construction industry. In response to industry concern, the aim of this research is to analyze the impact of immigration and immigration reform legislation on construction project costs. This analysis should help construction executives and project managers better anticipate the impact of labor reforms on project costs. It is also useful for legislators, social policy authors and researchers, demographers, and others interested in immigration reform policy.