by Jack Lee
A study recently released through the Center for Immigration Studies has found that in California we currently have the least educated labor force. Just a few decades ago California had one of the most educated. According to the report, “By 2008 California ranked 50th, making it the least educated state” What happened to send us from the top to the very bottom?
The reports cites that a great majority of immigrants in California are in the country legally. “In a 2007 study we estimated that 28 percent of California’s total foreign-born population in the CPS was comprised of illegal immigrants.”
Next is an excerpt from that report. You can get the full report by clicking the link at the bottom of this article:
“Between 1970 and 2008 the share of California’s population comprised of immigrants (legal and illegal) tripled, growing from 9 percent to 27 percent.1 This Memorandum examines some of the ways California has changed over the last four decades. Historically, California has not been a state with a disproportionately large unskilled population, like Appalachia or parts of the South. As a result of immigration, however, by 2008 California had the least-educated labor force in the nation in terms of the share its workers without a high school education. This change has important implications for the state.
Among the changes in California:
In 1970, California had the 7th most educated work force of the 50 states in terms of the share of its workers who had completed high school. By 2008 it ranked 50th, making it the least educated state. (Table 1a)
Education in California has declined relative to other states. The percentage of Californians who have completed high school has increased since 1970; however, all other states made much more progress in improving their education levels; as a result, California has fallen behind the rest of the country. (Table 1b)
The large relative decline in education in California is a direct result of immigration. Without immigrants, the share of California’s labor force that has completed high school would be above the national average.”
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL REPORT.
The comprehensive report has been compiled by Steven A. Camarota, Director of Research and Karen Jensenius, a demographer at the Center for Immigration Studies.