Immigration And Its Impact On The Boston Real Estate Market Boston Condos For Sale Ford Realty

"Immigrant laborers play a key role in the housing pipeline, especially for the nation's top homebuilding metros, according to a new study from Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies. Research showed a disproportionately high share of foreign-born workers active in the construction trades nationally in 2024. While immigrants made up one in five workers nationally, they composed one in three workers in the construction trades sector."

"The highest percentage of foreign-born trade workers occurred in the seven metros that issued at least 150,000 building permits between 2019-2023. In these locations, immigrants composed 54% of the trades workforce. Metros with slower housing growth still had disproportionately high shares of immigrants active in the trades. On average, metros that issued 75,000-149,999 permits had a 40% share of foreign-born trade workers, while those with fewer than 75,000 permits had a 22% share."

"With foreign-born workers playing such an outsized role in housing production and homebuilding, negative immigration trends could signal danger for the market, according to experts. "There is a disproportionately high share of foreign-born workers in the construction trades nationally and that share is even higher in these communities," said Harvard Senior Research Analyst Riordan Frost. "The recent slowdown in immigration will limit foreign-born labor for the trades, however, potentially worsening chronic labor shortages and constraining the ability to build and remodel housing.""

Immigrant laborers comprised one in three construction trades workers nationally in 2024, compared with one in five workers overall. The seven metros issuing at least 150,000 permits from 2019–2023 had 54% foreign-born trades workforces. Metros issuing 75,000–149,999 permits averaged 40% foreign-born trade workers, while those issuing fewer than 75,000 permits averaged 22%. Foreign-born tradespeople were concentrated in roles such as construction laborers and carpenters, representing three-fifths of plasterers and drywall installers and about half of roofers, painters, and floor installers. A slowdown in immigration could worsen chronic labor shortages and constrain building and remodeling capacity.

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