>>>>The next question is: who will get hired for all these construction jobs? Will they be contract jobs that get bid on by commercial enterprises? Who do contractors hire now? Illegal immigrants.
>>>
>>>Not if they're union jobs (to open another can of worms).
>>>
>>>FWIW, I don't think most _skilled_ labor jobs get a lot of illegals, and the kind of construction we're talking about will require a fair amount of skilled labor.
>>>
>>>
>>>Tamar
>>
>>Could you provide an example of why you think that the kind of construction we are talking about will mostly be skilled labor and that skilled labor will not be immigrant labor? Unless oversight and enforcement is in place, I don't see it happening.
>>
>>http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/85429
>>
>>“The vast majority of new construction jobs in 2006 were filled by foreign-born Latinos, many of them recently arrived,” the report states.
>>
>>Raw numbers support that conclusion: One in four construction jobs in 2006 was held by a Hispanic worker, with one in five by someone who was born in another country.
>>
>>The figures, which were based on reports by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau, also show that construction employment grew 5 percent between 2005 and 2006.
>>I
>>But Hispanic employment in the industry was up 14.5 percent.
>>
>>Put another way, two-thirds of the net new employment in construction came from Hispanics.
>>
>>
>
>But that doesn't say they're illegals.
>
>My understanding of the whole issue around illegal immigration is that, for the most part, the illegals are unskilled. Certainly, it's harder to immigrate legally if you're unskilled.
>
>As for why I think most of the construction jobs in the stimulus will call for skilled labor, that's because in my experience, most of the jobs in construction require skilled labor, often licensing, sometimes apprenticeships. I acknowledge that may be less true for road construction than building construction.
>
>Tamar

I would argue that you are incorrect in your assessment, because, in both Colorado and North Carolina, construction work is dominated by immigrant labor. The majority of construction work (commercial, residential, and road) is unskilled labor, not skilled. There is not much to learn when it comes to sheetrock, framing, roofing, or insulation. There have even been specials on the news about it. I have relatives who are general contractors in both North Carolina and Colorado and the situation is the same in both states. I find it unlikely that it is completely different in other states.

Did you read the link I posted?

Look at this one:

http://www.thecherrycreeknews.com/content/view/941/106/

and this:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16353653/

What's wrong with that picture? I know two experienced guys (from GJ) who tried to get hired on with Gould to no avail.