Speech #890137932

President. this data is taken from the U.S. Census Bureaus population bulletin of November 1962. Table II shows that in 1961. for example. our total labor force was about 66.7 million. including 123.688 immigrantsso that immigrants were less than onefifth of 1 percent of our labor force. In that year this proportion did not exceed onehalf of 1 percent in any occupational category ranging from the professional and technical workers to clerical. operatives. and unskilled laborers. This data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. the U.S. Bureau of the Census. and the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Between 1947 and 1962. our labor force expanded by about 13 million persons. while the total number of immigrants was only 3.8 million. But not all of these immigrants could or did enter our labor force. About 20 percent were housewives. 20 percent were children under 14 years old. and 7 percent were students. Thus. in any single year. only about 50 percent of the immigrants who came to this country could have entered our labor forcefor instance. in 1962 about 142.000 of the 284.000 immigrants. or less than a quarter of 1 percent of our employed labor force. could have entered our labor force. It is anticipated that the numbers of immigrants entering the U.S. labor force under the pending bill would be a very small increase over present levels. Average annual number of quota immigrants actually entering the United States between 1958 and 1962 was 97.500. The annual quota under H.R. 2580 would be 170.000. so that the yearly increase of actual quota immigrants would be 72.500. Of this 72.500. 60 percent are expected to be housewives. children and others with no occupation (students. aged). Thus. 40 percentonly 29.000 additional personswill enter the work force annually. At present about 48.600 quota immigrants enter the labor force. Adding 29.000 to this 48.600. a total of only 77.600 quota immigrants would enter yearly under H.R. 2580. Against a projected labor force in 1970 of 86 million. the number of quota immigrants entering the labor force annually under H.R. 2580 is only nine onehundredths of 1 percent.