As of last July, industry groups reported that 248,000 construction jobs remained unfilled, despite high unemployment in some areas. And these groups expect the construction sector to need nearly 454,000 new workers on top of normal hiring to meet demand in 2025.
Immigrant workers have been essential in filling this gap. According to our analysis, immigrants made up more than 23 percent of the construction workforce in 2023. It’s estimated that about half of them are undocumented immigrants. The Trump administration’s proposed mass deportation of undocumented immigrants would worsen the worker shortage—deepening the housing crisis and undermining the administration’s goals to “lower the cost of housing and expand housing supply.”
Source: Mass Deportations Would Worsen Our Housing Crisis | Urban Institute
