undocumented worker
12
4.8
- noun
- /ˌʌnˈdɒkjʊˌmɛnt ˈwɜrkər/
:
trabajador indocumentado
- Undocumented workers often face challenges such as low wages and poor working conditions.
- hire undocumented workers
- employers who hire undocumented workers
- million undocumented workers
Imagine instead that we wanted to deter employers from hiring undocumented workers.
- Imagine instead that we wanted to deter employers from hiring undocumented workers.
Examples
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It is one of the few places where undocumented workers can get healthcare for themselves and their families.
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LULAC's national director, Edwin Morga, argued that the issue of undocumented workers in the United States represented a fundamental question of human rights.
Academic text (1991) -
" Only about one in ten undocumented workers work in agriculture," he says.
Blog text (4) -
- See, I warned you about hiring undocumented workers.
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Which is why legislation should focus exclusively on the companies that hire undocumented workers.
Blog text (25) -
And we need an effective way to recognize and legalize the status of undocumented workers who are here.
Blog text (31) -
Companies that hire undocumented workers are unwilling to pay a legal wage for the work.
Blog text (25) -
Arizona passed legislation to create harsh employer sanctions for businesses that hire undocumented workers.
Academic text (2008) -
Undocumented workers in fear of deportation seek sanctuary in a church.
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The common denominator is the hiring class using undocumented workers to make more profit by paying lower wages.
Blog text (25)
How Authorized
1
3.6
12
4.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is transparently built from 'undocumented' (without required legal papers) modifying 'worker' (a person employed), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to someone working without legal authorization. This is a straightforward adjective+noun composition that maps directly onto similar constructions in many languages, making the meaning immediately accessible.
Etymology
The noun undocumented worker comes from the simple picture of a worker who is undocumented, literally someone 'without official papers' to live or work in a country. So, the term means a person who works 'without official papers' and often has little legal protection.