Day labor

Some employment agencies specialize in very short-term contracts for manual labor, primarily in construction, factories, offices, and manufacturing.

In situations such as an unexpected change in construction plans, an employer may require additional appropriately skilled labor.

A labor supply arriving at a specified time and location with less than a day's notice results in reduced overhead resources, which benefits the employer.

Workers assemble at at well-known locations, such as street corners or commercial parking lots, in the hope of finding such work.

In his study of day laborers in Atlanta, Terry Easton interviews white, black, and Hispanic workers.

[citation needed] Nonetheless, immigrants are a large source of day labor in the United States.

The media and a 2005 study by UCLA portrays day laborers as mostly being illegal immigrants from Mexico and Central America,[8] who would otherwise be unable to work due to employment regulations.