New Jersey is now home to one of the largest concentrations of temp workers in the nation, according to federal statistics. But the state's "temp towns" have a dark side.
NEW BRUNSWICK -- The business of providing blue-collar temporary workers to factories and warehouses is booming in New Jersey.
Sections of New Jersey, including New Brunswick, Elizabeth, Passaic and Union City, have spawned what researchers call "temp towns."
They are Hispanic neighborhoods filled with temporary employment agencies that offer low-paying temporary jobs in factories and warehouses.
But New Jersey's "temp towns" have a dark side.
Many temps are immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. They complain about low pay or not being paid at all, rampant racial and sexual discrimination, unsafe working conditions and a system that seems to exploit them at every turn. Many say they are unwilling to report mistreatment to authorities because they fear being deported.
NJ Advance Media partnered with Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting -- a nonprofit news organization based in California -- to speak to dozens of temp workers, agency recruiters, labor activists and experts to shed light on one of the darkest corners of New Jersey's economy.
Included in the special report:
The invisible workforce: Death, discrimination and despair in N.J.'s temp industry
'I am illegal': How one Mexican became a N.J. temp worker
Para leer en espanol (To read in Spanish):
La fuerza laboral invisible de Nueva Jersey
Un trabajador temporario 'ilegal' lucha por mejoras en las condiciones laborales
Coming Monday:
'No ghetto people': How temp agencies allegedly hire based on race and gender
Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find her at KellyHeyboerReporter on Facebook.