The roofing industry has always recruited hard workers and taught them a craft. In the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, many a farm kid left home to make more money as a construction craftsman. My dad was one of those people, leaving the farm and working as a carpenter to support his family. The construction industry has traditionally relied heavily on immigration. Chinese and Irish immigrants helped build the intercontinental railroad. Urban Wire reported in a Nov. 16, 2016 article that there were 2.2 million immigrant construction workers in the United States in 2015, representing about one-quarter of the construction workforce.
The roofing industry certainly has its share of immigrant workers, particularly Latino. I in no way claim to be an expert with Latinos or any other ethnicity of immigrant workers. However, I do see roofing contractors make mistakes and be unrealistic regarding the employment of non-English speaking employees.