Immigration raids upending Chicago's construction industry amid worker shortage, higher costs

Immigration raids upending Chicago’s construction industry amid worker shortage, higher costs – Chicago Sun-Times

Over the years, Chicago-area companies have become more reliant on foreign-born workers, according to federal data. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin market, 83,522 construction workers identified as foreign-born, 32.5 percent of the area’s workforce, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau figures.

Immigration raids upending Chicago's construction industry amid worker shortage, higher costs

Residential projects across Chicago are being postponed because construction companies are struggling to find reliable labor, prompting some contractors with projects west of Interstate 355 to operate with leaner crews and driving up day rates and overtime pay to attract workers.President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement has been affecting Chicago’s labor market, notably tradesmen like roofers, framers, concrete layers and landscapers.The …

Immigration raids upending Chicago’s construction industry amid worker shortage, higher costs

Residential projects across Chicago are being postponed because construction companies are struggling to find reliable labor, prompting some contractors with projects west of Interstate 355 to operate with leaner crews and driving up day rates and overtime pay to attract workers. President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement has been affecting Chicago’s labor market, notably tradesmen like roofers, framers, concrete layers and landscapers. Th…