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