Faculty Publications

Perhaps A Blessing: Skills And Contributions Of Recent Mexican Immigrants In The Rural Midwest

Document Type

Article

Keywords

Immigration, Iowa, Mexico, Midwest, Skills

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences

Volume

25

Issue

4

First Page

448

Last Page

468

Abstract

Using a survey instrument with 23 industrial skill descriptions and asking Mexican immigrants to rate their extent of experience, researchers found that immigrants in Marshalltown, Iowa, have much breadth and some depth of experience in four major industrial skills categories: communications, construction, industrial service, and manufacturing. Moreover, the city of Marshalltown has a labor force shortage, little so-called reactive ethnicity, and has been proactive in accommodation, making it different from traditional receiving communities. In contrast to the bleak portrait of human capital literature, using a contextual analysis of skills composition and the receiving community, researchers conclude that Mexican immigrants in Marshalltown, Iowa, make significant contributions and have the potential to make even more.

Department

Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology

Original Publication Date

11-1-2003

DOI of published version

10.1177/0739986303259490

Link to Full Text

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