According to the most recent census numbers, over the last decade, the

According to the most recent census numbers, over the last decade, the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities have been among the fastest growing communities in the country (1). From 2000-2010, the Asian American population grew by 43.3%, outpacing growth of the Latino population over the same period. The Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders population grew by 35.4% in the decade. In 2011, AAPIs made up 5.1% of the labor force, including close to 7.5 million workers of Asian descent and close to half a million Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders. By 2020, Asian Americans are expected to comprise 5.7 percent of the U.S. labor force (2).

Like many other groups in the U.S., Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders suffered through the most recent recession. As the economy strengthens, however, the AAPI community has been at the forefront of the recovery.

As shown in Figure 1, Asian Americans are more likely than any other group to be employed and more likely to work in the private sector than any other group, except for Latinos (3). As the recession took a toll on many private sector jobs, Asian Americans found opportunities of self-employment as an alternative to the private sector. In 2011, 5.9 percent of Asian Americans were self-employed. According to the most recent Census Bureau Survey of Business Owners, Asian American and Pacific Islanders businesses grew by over 40 percent, a rate that more than doubles the national average between 2002 and 2007. AAPIs make a significant contribution to the economy with their nearly 1.6 million businesses employing almost three million Americans with an annual payroll of over $80 billion.

See in more detail http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/05/15/asian-american-pacific-islander-labor-market-during-recovery