Trends in the Total Population of the Metro North Area, 2000 to 2005-06 ................... 3 Trends in the Working-Age Population of the Metro North Area, 2000 to 2005-06 ..... 8 Characteristics of the Resident Labor Force of the Metro North Area, 2005-06 ......... 16 Labor Force Participation Rates of the Residents of the Metro North Area, 2005-06 .

Purpose of the Presentation 1. Provide a review of labor market developments in Boston to help thinking through the area's education, training and development strategies 2.

This paper focuses on the Macehualli Day Labor Union located in Phoenix, Arizona in the 85032 area. Throughout the history of the United States, illegal immigrants have come from all over the world to find work and a better way of life. It is estimated that right now there are about seven million illegal aliens living in America. About 69% of these illegal immigrants are Mexican and over 283,000 of them live in Arizona1. In this paper, we presuppose that the illegal aliens we refer to are Mexican. This is because the aliens living in the geographic area around the day labor center we examine are over 99% Mexican (Reza, 2003, personal interview). Many Mexicans risk everything they have, including their lives, in their attempts to cross the border and live the “American Dream.” Most immigrants are motivated by the lure of lucrative employment across the border. They come to this country with the hope of finding a higher paying job. In most cases, the immigrants are young men who leave their families behind, but intend to earn enough money to eventually bring their loved ones across (Reza, 2003, personal interview).