From The Peopling of New York City: Indian Communities
Jobs
Indian immigrants can be found doing a large variety of work, ranging from minimal wage jobs to some of the best paying jobs in the country. The types of work done is usually determined by the level of education that the immigrants had, both in their home country and in America.
Least Educated
Some of the less-educated immigrants, mostly Indians of urban and middle class backgrounds, often find themselves trapped in low-status, poorly paid work. Examples of these jobs include: taking minimal wage jobs, driving taxis, and running small businesses such as newspaper stands, small convenience stores, and gas stations.
More Educated
Indians with more education often choose to open their own businesses, which vary from electronic and appliance stores, to small stores selling a variety of inexpensive items, to computer consulting. Others open hotels and motels. In the 1960s, there were only 60 or 70 Indian-owned motels nationwide, but by 2000, Indians operated well over 1/3 of the motels in America.
Other Indians choose to open businesses that serve an Indian consumer base. Examples include restaurants, clothing stores, beauty salons, jewelry shops, and Indian music and movie stores. These businesses provide the food, clothing, and entertainment that the Indian immigrants would have gotten in cities back in India, thereby making the transition into life in America easier for many new immigrants.
Most Educated
Indian immigrants with the most education usually go into a high-tech, high-paying field. Jobs that draw well-educated Indians are often in the fields of engineering, science, computing, law, business, and finance. David M. Reimers's research indicates that Indian immigrants are also extremely likely to go into medical fields. The research indicates that as early as 1980, 11% percent of Indian men and 15% percent of Indian women were in a medical field. By 1998, Indians accounted for about five percent of all U.S. physicians. Many entered specialties such as anesthesiology, where they amounted to ten percent of the total.