A recently-released nationwide study on day laborers in the United States - the first study of its kind - revealed an unexpectedly high level of community engagement among the day-laborer population. It also, however, confirmed what many individuals and activists had already asserted: that the life of a day laborer is one fraught with on-the-job dangers. In this installment of "By the numbers," the Daily explores the findings of the study, called "On the Corner: Day Labor in the United States" and conducted by researchers from UCLA, the University of Illinois at Chicago and New School University.
117,600 Estimated number of day laborers nationwide 59% Day laborers who are from Mexico28% Day laborers who are from Central America75% Day laborers who are in the U.S. illegally 40% Day laborers who have been in the U.S. for over six years
1 in 5 Day laborers who have "been injured on the job"33 days Average length of time for which on-the-job accidents sideline day laborers
1 in 2 Day laborers who "have been cheated out of pay"44% Day laborers who "were denied food, water and breaks" in the two months prior to the survey's administration28% Day laborers who "were insulted or threatened by the employer"27% Day laborers who were "abandoned at the worksite by an employer"32% Day laborers who "worked more hours than initially agreed to with the employer"
49% Day laborers who mostly work for private homeowners43% Day laborers who mostly work for construction contractors
36% Day laborers who are married7% Day laborers who live with a partner$12,830 2005 federal poverty guideline for a two-person family80+% Workers for whom day labor is their only income source
2,660 Day laborers included in the study20 States (plus Washington, D.C.) in which those day laborers work3 Years over which the study was conducted
The information cited above comes from the Houston Chronicle, the Stamford Advocate, the Associated Press, UCLA.edu and the Center for the Study of Urban Poverty.
