Mexican Migration To The USA

IB HL

Labour Flows

• Mexican immigrants in the USA doubled from 7.9% in 1970 to 15.6% in 1980.

• It then doubled again to 30.7% in 2006.• A 10th of the entire population of Mexico now

live in the USA.• Traditionally, California and Texas were the

main areas to settle but now Georgia, North Carolina, znd Midwestern states are becoming popular.

Causes Of Movements

• Push Vs Pull Factors.• Job Opportunities.• Wages/Salaries.• Employment.• Standards Of Living.• Healthcare.• Education.

Consequences

• There are advantages and disadvantages for both source (Mexico) and host (USA) countries.

• Migrants are a source of cheap labour.• Migrants fill job spaces that locals don’t want.• Tension in areas with a lot of migrants.• Mexican workforce loses its workforce leaving

population pyramids unbalanced.

Employment Characteristics

• Mexican men were more likely to participate in the civilian labour force than foreign born men.

• 40% of Mexican born men were employed in construction, extraction, or transportation occupations.

• Mexican men and women were less likely to be employed as managers, scientists or engineers but were more likely to be working in service or farming occupations.

Activities

• Using Geography For The IB Diploma P205-209, answer the following…

1. Using Figure 5 (P205), describe the pattern of LEGAL immigration to the USA between 1820 and 2005.

2. How has the ethnicity of the USA changed over the years and does it really matter?

3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of a high concentration of both legal AND illegal immigrants to the USA?