Use this button to switch between dark and light mode.

Report: Half of Texas Construction Workers Undocumented

February 22, 2013 (1 min read)

"Half of the construction workers in Texas are undocumented, according to a new report by an Austin immigrant rights group and University of Texas researchers that surveyed nearly 1,200 workers throughout the state.

The report released Thursday by the Austin-based Workers Defense Project and a team of UT academics estimates that as many as 400,000 undocumented immigrants work in construction statewide.  Those workers receive lower pay than their U.S.-born counterparts and are less likely to receive safety training or be covered by workers’ compensation if they are injured on the job, according to the report.

The report says the state’s construction industry is at a crossroads — that it is dependent on undocumented workers and unable to find enough qualified workers to keep pace with the state’s growth." - Austin American-Statesman, Feb. 21, 2013.