Labor demand in the US - Americas Datafest

Labor Demand in the US

A proposal by NCLR

What does the United States know about the role Hispanic migrants play in the US economy? What stories do we perpetuate about the labor demands that draw them to the US? And do we understand the injustices and challenges they face under our current system?

We aspire to challenge and clarify the notion that migration is a threat to the US workforce and hope to provide a fresh perspective on the migrant experience and the realities of labor demands in the US -- a perspective more in line with today’s economic and social truths.

To do this, we wish to create a data visualization around labor demand and migrant rights. This will be an essential element of the social action campaign around the hybrid documentary drama “Who Is Dayani Cristal?, starring Mexican actor and activist Gael Garcia Bernal. We aim to create deeper engagement with the question of Hispanic migration and its role in our economy, shifting perceptions toward fairness and justice. Using the data sets provided, the goal is to create a data visualization, which provides a better understanding of the role of immigration in the US and creatively narrates:

(1) A portrayal of labor demands in the US over time

(2) The reasons behind people crossing the border

(3) The contribution of migrant workers on the labor landscape and their function in the economy.

Data sources:

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecopro.t06.htm

http://www.census.gov/population/projections/data/national/2012.html

http://www.pewhispanic.org/2011/02/01/v-workers/